Dark Angel
by Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay
Summary: A few days after Bail brought her home Leia dies a watery death. Meanwhile a suitless Vader ends up with an infant that is known to the galaxy only as Lady Vader. The events of Star Wars with a twist. AU
1. Tragedy

I own only the OCs.

xxxxxxxxxxx

All was peaceful in the Alderaanian Palace.

Guards patrolled the halls as tour groups made their rounds and Bail Organa was enjoying the silence of his office.

An orange light suddenly glowed on his desk.

Bail frowned.

Somewhere in the Palace there was a security breach.

Bail felt his heart pound in his chest. It had only been a few days since he had brought Leia here and the adoption was going along just fine. Had someone discovered the truth?

Several security guards entered and took different positions in the room. One of them was speaking into his commlink; something about the bird in the office.

"What happened?" Bail asked. "Are my wife and Leia alright?"

"As far as we know they are fine, sir.

"Something is wrong with the security cams in different parts of the palace. They keep showing empty corridors that we know are occupied." One of the guards said.

Bail tried to return to his work when several more guards entered, their faces pale and fearful.

"Move the Viceroy to a secure location We have a security breach." One of them said.

"What about my wife and Leia?" He asked them urgently.

"Guards are on their way to them right now, Viceroy." The leader said.

Bail stood and followed some of the guards out of his office and down the corridor.

"Are the civilians being evacuated?" Bail asked.

"We are having some trouble evacuating them but it shouldn't take much longer." A guard responded.

The turbo lift ride was one of the longest in his life.

Once in the Safe Room he noticed that neither Breha nor Leia were there.

Bail felt his heart pound in is chest.

Hours seemed to pass before some guards entered looking defeated.

"What happened?" He demanded. "Where's my wife and Leia?"

The guards bowed their heads.

"The queen is critically injured. She was stabbed with a knife of some type." The captain explained.

Bail gasped in horror. "Is she going to live?" He asked urgently.

"You will have to speak to the doctors and medics." The captain answered.

Bail's throat tightened.

"And Leia?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"We chased her abductor to the Gate River. There she stood on the railing and threatened to jump in if we came any closer." The captain paused.

"Did she get away?" Bail demanded.

"Someone shot her in the head and she fell backward into the river and the swift current swept their bodies away." The captain finished.

"We are combing the river for their bodies but we don't expect to find much."

Bail sat down, his mind refusing to comprehend what he had just heard.

Minutes ticked by.

Finally Bail stood.

"Take me to my wife." He whispered.

They led him through the Palace to the Med Wing.

Breha lay pale on the bed.

"We will know by tomorrow if she's going to make it." The medical droid informed him.

Bail swallowed.

He had never known such pain.

xxxxx

Three days later Breha opened her eyes.

She kept says something about a woman with a clear knife.

Bail nearly sighed with relief when he was given the green light to enter the room and visit her.

He sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"Have they caught the intruder?" Breha asked.

"The intruder is dead." Bail said softly.

Breha nodded.

"Do you know what the intruder wanted or why she was in the Nursery?" Breha asked.

Bail swallowed.

"We believe that she wanted to abduct Leia and possibly hold her for ransom." Bail explained.

Breha suddenly frowned.

"But Leia's adoption hasn't even gone through yet. Why would someone want to abduct her before hand?"She asked.

"I don't know Love." Bail replied softly.

"Where's Leia?" Breha asked. "I am sure that she's distraught that our hour together was interrupted and that I haven't been back to see her." Breha continued.

Bail glanced down.

"Breha, the reason why I didn't bring Leia down is because she's dead." Bail explained slowly. "The woman was shot while standing on the railing by the Gate River with Leia in her arms. The woman fell backwards into the river and the current swept them away."

Tears ran down Breha's cheeks.

"She was only a baby!" She wailed.

Bail took her in his arms and held her close.

"I know, Breha. I know." He whispered.

xxxxx

Two days later Leia's funeral was held.

Mourners lined the streets as the empty casket was drawn through the streets. The Royal family trailed behind.

The Emperor had sent his condolences along with a representative.

Bail wasn't sure what to think or how to feel.

He chose certain flowers so that Obi-Wan would know that Leia was indeed dead since it would be too risky to send him a message.

xxxxx

Late that day they located the abductor's body.

She was a handful of centimeters shorter than two meters and had long brown hair.

The knife she had used on the queen was still in its sheath by her side,

The Morgue workers took her holo and ran it through the database and came up empty handed.

Since it was late the workers stored her body and left for home. Planning on extracting DNA and other vital things from her body the next day

Strangely during the night her body disappeared from the morgue. Even the knife disappeared from the evidence locker.

All the security cams started looping in the middle of the night. The loop lasted long enough for someone to have gone in and taken not only the knife but the body as well.

It was a complete mystery.

xxxxx


	2. The early years

xxxxx

_Three years later . . ._

Bail Organa quickly walked down the corridors of the Senate Building.

Breha had just commed him saying that she had a surprise for him.

Truth be told, Bail wasn't in the mood for surprises.

Bail sighed as he recalled how that morning's Senate Meeting went: a total disaster.

What made it worse was that Vader was in attendance.

Bail could barely stop the feelings of guilt for what had transpired three years ago every time he saw the man. Especially when he locked eyes with him. Eyes that were either nearly lifeless blue or poisonous yellow. Leia had been his daughter and he had failed to keep her safe.

Something suddenly collided into his legs, bringing him out of his somber thoughts.

He looked down to see a small child dressed completely in black with a hood pulled low over the face.

Bail smiled. It was a pleasant surprise to see a child in the Senate.

"Hello, what's your name?" He asked the child.

"I not s'pose to talk to strangahs." The child, a girl, responded in poor basic. An indication that she wasn't that old.

Bail smiled.

"Well then, I am Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan." Bail said. "There, now I am not a stranger." he smiled pleasantly.

The girl glanced uncertainly behind her, where a creature wearing a cloak stood; watching the exchange.

"Is that one of your guards?" he asked.

She nodded.

Bail knelt.

"Aren't you a little young to be wandering the halls of the Senate?" He asked the small child.

"I not little! I three!" The girl declared.

Bail smiled. "That's big, no wonder you wandering the halls of the Senate all by yourself."

Suddenly she smiled and turned around.

Bail followed her gaze and froze.

Standing behind her was Lord Vader.

"Senator," Vader said politely.

"Milady, you have a datapad to deliver." The cloaked being said in a gravelly voice.

The girl nodded and hurried off.

Vader stared at Bail for several moments. Bail felt his heartbeat slow and then speed up.

Then Vader walked away.

Bail nearly sighed with relief. He had heard rumors about little Lady Vader. She was an enigma. All that anyone knew was that Lord Vader had taken care of her since she was an infant.

He took a deep breath to settle himself before heading to his apartment to speak to Breha.

When he heard her news he wished that Vader had killed him for stopping his 'daughter'. Breha had gone behind his back and adopted an infant girl.

When he thought of it he had hoped that Leia would somehow turn up, alive. He knew that he was being unrealistic; that there was little chance that Leia had survived the swift current of the Gate River.

Yet he wasn't sure he could bear raising another daughter. In fact he wasn't sure if he could love Ana the way a father should love his child.

xxxx

_Three years later . . ._

Terrison Gilder watched as Lord Vader entered his office with a squad of Storm Troopers, three cloaked aliens and a little girl dressed completely in black with a black face veil hiding all of her face except for her brown eyes.

Gilder had heard rumors about her. No one knew who she was or where she came from. He had heard everything from her being Vader's blood daughter to a child spared at the Temple. Personally Gilder doubted that the Dark Lord of the Sith was capable of feeling anything towards females let alone bed one.

"Lord Vader it's a pleasure to have you." Gilder said.

Lord Vader waved his hand dismissively. "Terrison Gilder you are suspected of stealing from the Empire and selling weapons to the Rebels." Lord Vader said flatly.

Gilder swallowed. "My men just found the Rebel responsible for it, Lord Vader. He was executed this morning." Gilder said.

Vader's icy blue eyes bore into him. "You better pray that I find no evidence that you had any part in this!" Vader hissed.

The little girl nodded firmly.

With that the group turned and left the office.

xxxxx

Malakah clan Kedah followed Lady Vader as she skipped down the corridors of the office building. He knew that Lord Vader was elsewhere trying to discern the man's guilt and that they would soon be headed back to Coruscant and then Lady Vader would be taking a trip to Naboo, like she did every few months.

Malakah wondered why Lord Vader sent his daughter to Naboo but it wasn't his place to question him.

Suddenly an explosion made Malakah turn his head and sniff.

"What's wrong Malakah?" Lady Vader asked curiously.

Melkah and Sisthan appeared.

"There is a riot." Melkah explained. "We are to try and move Lady Vader out of the building."

Malakah nodded.

They tried to move Leia to safety but the rioters were coming in through all sorts of entrances and soon Malakah, Melkah and Sisthan were fighting to protect young Lady Vader.

xxxxx

Tears of fear ran down her cheeks as she watched people drop and felt some of them go away.

_Daddy, help me!_ She thought.

xxxxx

Lord Vader smiled.

_I have you now!_ he thought.

A tremor in the Force made him turn his head.

"What is going on?" He asked the nearest Storm Trooper.

"Nothing as far as I kn-"

An explosion rocked the building.

The Storm Trooper suddenly stood straighter.

"We have rioters entering the building My Lord!" He reported urgently.

Vader quickly left the room barking into his commlink for more Storm Troopers to be sent to the Gilder Building, immediately. He drew his lightsaber and went to work.

Then he heard his daughter's mental cry for help.

xxxxx

Lady Vader watched as Malakah and Melkah lay so still and the bad people were coming closer to her hiding place.

Suddenly their were screams of panic and the bad people start to run away.

Lady Vader smiled as she felt her father get closer to her hiding place.

When he knelt down she ran into his waiting arms.

"Daddy, Malakah and Melkah are hurt!" She whimpered once she was safe in his arms.

"I need a medical team in sector 3-J!" She heard her father bark into his commlink.

xxxxx

"Breaking News! A riot at the Gilder Building cost the lives of several workers, several rioters and some Storm Troopers." Alek Grai said into the pick up. "There are as of yet no official numbers on the dead or exactly what the riot was about. We do know that Lord Vader was present in Terrison Gilder's office when the riot broke out.

"Sources say Lord Vader was at the heart of the fighting and that Terrison Gilder's body was removed from the building three hours ago. We have been assured that there will be an official statement as soon as the authorities have assessed the situation.

"In other news, a cargo vessel found a Bantha in their hold this morning. They suspect it was a prank from their competitors..."

xxxxx

_Three years later . . ._

Bail Organa led his daughter, six year old Princess Ana, down the corridors of the Senate Building.

Over the years he had learned to love the little girl.

Ana was babbling away about how pretty it was and saying hello to everyone.

"Good day Senator." Several people said as they past.

"Good day," Bail replied, back adding rank when it was appropriate.

Suddenly Lord Vader appeared from a side corridor with his 'daughter'.

Ana smiled and waved.

"Hello!" Ana said brightly.

"Good day child." Lord Vader said.

"Good day. Lady Vader, you have grown since I last saw you." Bail said.

"Hello." Lady Vader said softly.

"The Emperor wishes to speak to you and several others." Lord Vader said.

Bail nodded. He had nothing to hide, not anymore.

He followed Lord Vader to the Emperor's Office.

"Your daughter will have to wait out here." Lord Vader said as they approached the door to the Emperor's Office. 'My daughter will keep her company and her guards will watch them."

_What if this is a trap?_ Bail wondered fearfully. _What if Ana is abducted or killed?_

"You have my word that that she will not be harmed." Lord Vader said.

He turned to the short aliens in the cloaks. "You will protect the Senator of Alderaan's daughter as if she was my daughter during this meeting; understood?"

The aliens nodded. "Understood Lord Vader." One of them said solemnly

Bail nodded and turned to Ana. "Stay out here and play with Lady Vader," he told her.

The meeting was pointless. The Emperor spent a long time saying pointless things about stripping people of even more of their rights in the guise of security and peace. Bail felt despair.

Suddenly an indignant shriek came from the Antechamber.

Bail turned. Fear for Ana's safety welling up in him.

Lord Vader turned and left for the Antechamber. Bail followed him and gasped. Lady Vader was standing with her hands on her hips and Ana was standing across from her. "You're not doing it right!" Lady Vader said indignantly. "You are a suppose to be a senator; act like it!"

"What is going on?" Lord Vader demanded.

The two girls spun around.

"She stole top secret military plans and I caught her." Lady Vader said smugly.

"I did not!" Ana objected. "The spies did and then they gave the plans to me." Ana explained.

"You admit to having the plans!" Lady Vader said gleefully.

"Did not!" Ana said indignantly.

"Did too!" Lady Vader shot back.

Bail was surprised to hear Lord Vader laugh as he commented, "They were merely play acting." Bail thought he heard a note of relief in Vader's tone and wondered what could worry a Sith Lord.

Bail let out his own sigh of relief and returned to his pointless meeting. The Emperor might be destroying every freedom he held dear, but at least he still had his daughter.

xxxxx

_A few months later . . ._

Ana sat in the Antechamber of the Emperor's Office and sighed. She was bored.

"Want to play?" Lady Vader suddenly asked.

"Yes!" Ana said earnestly.

"Alright, we will play Senator and General." Lady Vader declared. "You be the Senator and I will be the General."

Ana sighed.

"I don't want to be the Senator anymore!" She cried.

"Then what do you want to be?" Lady Vader said, curious.

Ana smiled as she smoothed out her green dress.

"I want to be a Jedi." She declared proudly.

"I _hate_ Jedi!" Lady Vader suddenly snapped, causing Ana to shrink back in fear. "Jedi are evil! One left my Daddy to die!" Lady Vader said with venom.

xxxxx


	3. First Love and A New Hope

xxxxx

_Seven years later . . ._

Lieutenant Han Solo stood in a bar on the lower levels of Coruscant and examined the charts of the stats of some local swoop bike gangs.

His job was to see if any stats were abnormally high for age and species. He had done a Holonet search and discovered that the traits he was looking at were highly common in Force Sensitives.

Several stood out. A sixteen standard year old Human girl, Angel. An older Human male called simply Ani. A twenty standard year old Twi'lek male named Ject. And a Zabrak female, Surgi, that was eighteen standard years old.

According to a viewscreen the group that 'Angel' and 'Ani' belonged to was just finishing a race with another group.

He watched as the swoop bikes came to a stop in front of the bar.

Curiously he exited and observed from afar as one particular one, a female human, hopped off her bike.

"Nice one Angel." One of them, a male Twi'lek, commented.

"I need to work on her a bit more Orn." The woman, Angel, commented to him.

The male Twi'lek, Orn, nodded.

"Tell your father that we missed him." He told her.

"I will."

Han watched as Angel walked away pushing her swoop bike beside her, then followed at a discrete distance. _I want to talk to her! She's a kindred spirit if her stats are anything to go by._ Han thought. _I mean if she's a Force Sensitive than I know where she and her father live so that I can report it._

She walked for half an hour before she turned into an alleyway and parked the bike in a run-down garage and entered a code into the Service Lift.

Han quickly turned around and entered the building. Once inside he entered a lift and punched in a random floor, relying on his luck to guess the right one. To his surprise he was asked for a code. He typed in his Imperial Identification Code and the lift shot upwards.

The lift stopped and Han stepped into a antechamber lined with plants from several worlds and a few delicate sculptures.

A Protocol Droid was off to one side behind a receptionist desk. It greeted him as he stepped from the lift. "Hello Lieutenant. Do you have an appointment?" the droid asked politely.

"No, I believe I have the wrong apartment," Han said and turned to leave.

"You have the right apartment, Lieutenant," a young woman's voice said.

Han turned as a young woman approached him, wrapping a face veil around the lower part of her face. Han felt his heartbeat stop. _Lady Vader races swoop bikes? I am so dead!_

"I don't intend to kill you. My father believes that you have a great career ahead of you, Lieutenant Solo." Lady Vader said, turning back the way she had come.

"Come and tell me what brings you here today," She said over her shoulder.

Nervously Han complied.

When he left a few hours later he knew for sure that he had met a kindred spirit.

xxxx

_Three years later . . ._

Han sat next to Lady Vader in the sitting room of the apartment that she and her father lived in.

"Please tell me your real name." He whispered into her ear after a kiss.

She leaned forward and whispered a name into his ear.

xxxxx

_A week later . . ._

Han Solo couldn't believe that he was running away.

He paused as a patrol of Storm Troopers passed.

After three years he had gotten to know Lady Vader quite well, but it seemed that the Emperor had plans for Lady Vader; plans that didn't include a lowly lieutenant. The Emperor had summoned him and had given him two options: accept a backwater post on an arid world and forget that he ever met Lady Vader or he could die. He had three days to think it over.

Han had chosen option number three: run away and never forget.

He paused yet again for a patrol before making his way into the lower levels of Coruscant to have his Dog Chip removed. After that was done he bought passage on a ship bound for the Outer Rim.

xxxxx

_A few months later . . . ._

Sixteen year old Princess Ana of Alderaan gulped as she watched the Imperial Class Star Destroyer exit hyperspace.

"Who's ship, Darth Vader or Lady Vader?" She asked. Praying that it was the former.

"It is the Devastator." The pilot replied.

Ana nearly sagged with relief.

"Prepare to be boarded. We must repel them long enough for me to hide the plans." She said.

xxxxx

Corporal Cal Antilles liked to think that he had no fear but at the sight of the cloaked figure he froze in fear. No one seemed to know why Lady Vader wore a silk scarf over her face. Some said it hid a beautiful face, others that she was hideously deformed or scarred, and still more claimed she did it for the same reason Lord Vader wore one: to scare people.

Cal didn't know which was the case, but if she wore it to frighten people, it was definitely working.

He watched as she grabbed Captain Raymus Antilles by the throat.

"Where are the plans?" She demanded.

"I have no idea what you are talking about! We are on a diplomatic mission!" Captain Antilles spluttered.

"If you are on a diplomatic mission then I am a Jedi. And I hate Jedi." Lady Vader hissed.

Cal swallowed.

xxxxx

Princess Ana prayed that the plans would get to General Kenobi safely as she was led down the corridors of her ship.

Suddenly the troopers halted and Lady Vader stepped into view from another corridor.

Ana gasped in fear. She may have been Lady Vader's playmate when she visited Coruscant with her father, but she knew it would make no difference. If her games with Lady Vader had taught her anything, it was that she hated rebels. And she didn't take betrayal well.

A year ago she had asked her father about what he thought of the rumors surrounding Lady Vader's origins. Her father had told her that Darth Vader didn't have a blood daughter and that the Jedi usually didn't take newborns.

"Princess Ana, I would say it is a pleasure meeting you again but I am afraid that I am here on a matter of urgent business. You see several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you!" Lady Vader hissed.

Ana worked her dry mouth nervously. "I have done nothing wrong," Ana quavered.

"On the contrary, you were in restricted space and ignored numerous hails to leave. You fired on an Imperial star destroyer when they ordered you to stop. So I would say that I had every reason to disable your ship." Lady Vader said smugly.

"What are you talking about? You know me, Lady Vader. I swear I am on a diplomatic mission for Alderaan." Ana said.

Lady Vader stood straighter. "I do know you, Princess Ana." Lady Vader said simply. "And your skills at lying have not improved since we were playmates. As for you being on a diplomatic mission for Alderaan . . . the Hutts would sooner have you clad in a scanty outfit and have you dance for them than listen to you." Lady Vader scornfully.

Lady Vader waved her hand. "Take her away!" She snapped. "My father will question her personally."

Ana gasped in fear. Darth Vader was known far and wide for his ability to get prisoners to talk.

xxxxxxxxx

Lady Vader walked beside her father on the _Devastator_.

"I have ordered Commander Praji to search the planet for the plans." She informed her father.

"Good." He replied.

"I want to join them." She stated.

"It would be a moral booster for the men to have one of us there and if something comes up than I can handle it." She said.

Her father hesitated.

"It would be a great Command experience." She pressed.

Finally her father nodded.

"But don't go out into the desert alone. There are dangerous things that roam it." Lord Vader said.

She nodded before hurrying off to board a Troop Transport.

xxxxx


	4. Death Star

Sorry for the long wait. My Beta was on vacation and now she's back ahd I I have visited her.

Please enjoy!

xxxxx

Lady Vader was bored out of her skull.

Here she expected to be out with the troops but right now they were having a hard time locating the escape pod and they would have to wait until tomorrow morning to go to it at this rate so she got on a speeder bike and headed out. Without her cloak and face veil or her guards.

xxxxx

Luke Skywalker was heading back to his speeder when he felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned and noticed a young woman with brown hair and eyes watching him from a short distance away.

_I feel as if I should know her._ He thought.

Luke watched the woman straighten.

"Hey Luke!" Biggs suddenly called.

Luke turned to his best friend. Biggs came over with two mugs.

"Tell me everything that has happened since I left." Biggs said, handing Luke one of the mugs.

Luke turned back to the woman but she was boarding a military grade speeder bike.

"Well, the Raiders are getting a little bolder." Luke began; watching as the woman sped away across the Desert.

xxxxx

Lady Vader sighed.

This was easily the most boring planet in the entire galaxy.

Suddenly her private commlink chirped. She reached into one of the pouches on her belt and retrieved it.

She held it in front of her and activated it. An image of her father appeared. "I need you at my current position." He said quickly. "Yes Father," she said. "I had your personal ship dropped off. Just ask one of your men which berth it's in."

xxxxx

Princess Ana sat shivering in her cell. _Any minute Lord Vader is going to come in and torture me._ She thought. _I must be strong!_

The door opened and an officer came in followed be Lord and Lady Vader.

Ana swallowed..

"And now your Highness we will discuss the location of your hidden Rebel Base." Lady Vader said, coldly.

A beeping noise slowly filled the cell. Curious Ana turned her head and her mouth opened in fear: an IT-O floated behind them and to the side.

Quickly Ana slid as far as she could away from the droid, no doubt earning smirks from the Vaders.

xxxxx

Han Solo studied the two men in front of him. He couldn't believe he was even considering this, but life had been treating him well lately. So well, in fact, that he had been forced to dump the Spice he was carrying for Jabba the Hutt. As if that wasn't enough, Jabba was none too happy that Han had no money to pay for the lost cargo. Now he was running out of time and this was the only job that had come his way. Yes, he thought, life was certainly treating him well.

One of the two men was really more than a boy – fresh off the farm if he had to guess. Judging by the bar fight the boy had started earlier, his inexperience was great enough to get more than himself in trouble. What he really needed was at least a year at the Academy to smarten him up.

As for the crazy old man with the lightsaber, he was another sort of trouble. He was the sort to seek out trouble. Han doubted he even knew how to keep a low profile. Han glanced at the lightsaber. It made him think of Angel. She wasn't the sort to keep a low profile either.

Not a day went by that he didn't miss Angel and some days he even missed his post on Coruscant, not that he would admit that out loud. He had never even told Chewie about Angel. He couldn't bear talking about her. Some things were better private.

Han pulled his thoughts back to the task at hand. He folded his hands on the table and introduced himself. "Han Solo, I'm captain of the Millennium Falcon." At least this mission promised to be exciting, no matter what the old man said.

xxxxx

"Her resistance to the Mind Probe is considerable. It will take some time before we can extract any information from her." Lord Vader told Moff Tarkin.

'You should have done it yourself instead of having her do it." Tarkin said, giving Lady Vader a look.

"I am just as good as my father." Lady Vader hissed.

"The final check out is complete, all stations operational." Chief Bast reported. "What course should we set?"

"Perhaps she will respond to a different form of persuasion." Tarkin mused.

"What do you mean?" Lord Vader asked.

"I think it's time we demonstrated the destructive power of this station. Set your course for Alderaan." Tarkin ordered.

"With pleasure." Bast answered.

xxxxxx

Ana gasped as she was brought onto the Command Deck of the Death Star.

"Governor Tarkin, I shouldn't be surprised to see you here controlling Lord Vader." Ana spat.

Tarkin smiled cruelly.

"Only the Emperor controls my father. If Tarkin tried to control him he would be a dead man." Lady Vader hissed.

Tarkin glared at Lady Vader but didn't say anything.

"Princess Ana, before your execution I would like you to be my guest in a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now." Tarkin said.

"The more the Emperor tightens his grip Tarkin the more star systems will slip through his fingers." Ana said with a vague smile.

"Not after we demonstrate the destructive power of this station. In a way you have chosen the planet that will be destroyed first. I have decided to test the station's destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan." Tarkin announced.

"No! Alderaan is peaceful! We have no weapons! You can't possibly-"

"You want another target? A military target? Then name the system!" Tarkin snapped.

Ana swallowed, her eyes wide.

"I grow tired of asking this: where is the Rebel Base?" Tarkin demanded.

Ana peered over Tarkin's shoulder.

"Dantooine. They're on Dantooine." Ana whispered, lowering her head in shame.

"There you see Lord Vader; she can be reasonable. You may continue with the operation, you may fire when ready." Tarkin said.

"What!" Ana yelped.

"You are far too trusting." Tarkin told her. "Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don't worry, we will deal with your rebel friends soon enough." He announced.

"No!" Ana whimpered as Lord Vader dragged her away from Tarkin.

Ana watched in horror as a green laser hit Alderaan, watched as the planetary shield held for a second before failing and as Alderaan was blown to rubble.

A gagging noise filled the silent Bridge.

"And . . . you call . . . yourselves human." Ana stuttered.

"Take her away!" Tarkin barked.

xxxxx

Lord Vader walked down the corridors of the Death Star with his daughter at his side.

"I am sorry father." Lady Vader said suddenly.

"Sorry for what?" he asked her.

"Nearly vomiting on the Command Deck." She answered softly.

"It was your first Force Disturbance. I gagged at my first one too." Lord Vader told her.

He could sense her relief.

xxxxx

Lord Vader stood in the Conference Room with Tarkin. They were waiting for the report to come in from Dantooine.

Finally the door opened admitting an officer and Lady Vader to enter. Tarkin scowled at her. "Yes?" he nearly demanded.

"Our scout ships have reached Dantooine. There they found the remains of a Rebel Base that they estimate has been deserted for some time. They are now conducting an extensive search of the surrounding systems." The officer reported.

"She lied to us!" Tarkin snapped. "Why that little-"

"I told you that she would never willingly betray the Rebellion; unless she thought that it would destroy this station in the process." Lord Vader said smugly. "Indeed," Lady Vader said in agreement.

"Terminate her at once!" Tarkin ordered.

"And destroy our only link to the Rebels?" Lady Vader asked curiously.

"We will find other links to the Rebellion." Tarkin snapped.

"And if not?" Lady Vader asked snidely.

"Silence!" Tarkin barked.

"Make me!" Lady Vader shot back.

"Lord Vader, you will remove your daughter from this station!" Tarkin snapped, fuming. "Immediately!"

A beep from the comm panel caught their attention.

"Yes!" Tarkin asked.

"We captured a freighter entering the remains of the Alderaan System. It's markings match those of a ship that blasted its way out of Mos Eilsey." The officer reported.

"They might be trying to return the stolen plans to the Princess, she might still be of use to us." Lord Vader commented. "Oh and my daughter will not be leaving until this is investigated." Lord Vader said steering his daughter from the room.

As soon as he was out of earshot, he turned to Lady Vader. "Your behavior was unacceptable. I expect you to sound like an adult."

"Tarkin is an idiot!" Lady Vader objected.

"Of course he is, but you cannot convince an idiot to change his mind unless he respects you and arguing in such a childish manner defeats that purpose. See that it doesn't happen again."

Lady Vader bowed her head. "I will, Father."

"Good, now why don't we go see about that ship?"

xxxxx

Lady Vader stood beside her father as they examined the ship that they had captured entering the Alderaan System. The ship was a YT-1300 and in bad condition.

She only listened with half an ear to the officer's report to her father. Something felt...familiar here, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Suddenly her father put his left arm around her and led her out of the Hanger.

"What is it Father?" She asked. "A Presence in the Force, it feels familiar. Almost like your Mother...," her Father explained.

Lady Vader could feel her Father's pain through the Force and through their Bond. "It's alright Father, I am here," she told him.

xxxx

Han mentally shook his head as he followed Luke down the corridors of the space station with Chewie in between them. He was certainly right about this getting interesting.

He was craving a little excitement if he was truthful with himself. The last time he had any real excitement was the botched Spice run and before that when he deserted. It was far from an ideal substitute for racing Angel and her father through the Coruscant underground, but it was the best he could manage just now.

xxxx

Lord Vader walked down one of the many corridors of the Death Star with his daughter when he sensed a very familiar presence. He scowled, feeling the negative emotions wash through him. Anger, betrayal, loss, fear. The last time he felt that presence, the person he loved more than any other had died.

He paused for a moment. He wanted to confront him right now, but he pulled himself back. He wanted this fight to be his and his alone. He turned on his heel, heading straight for Tarkin's location.

Lady Vader hurried to after him.

xxxx

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, he is here!" Lord Vader announced to Tarkin.

Tarkin frowned. "Obi-Wan Kenobi?" he repeated. "What makes you think so?" he nearly demanded.

"A tremor in the Force. A tremor that is associated with him." Vader explained coldly.

Tarkin sniff. "Surely he must be dead by now," he said dismissively.

"Don't underestimate the Force." Lord Vader hissed angrily.

"The Jedi are extinct. Their fire has gone out of the Universe." Tarkin said. A beep from the comm interrupted him. "You my friend is all that is left of their religion." He finished.

Lord Vader scowled behind his face veil.

"Yes?" Tarkin asked the officer on the other end of the comm channel.

"We an emergency alert in Detention Block AA-23!" The man reported.

"The princess?" Tarkin asked. "Put all sections on alert!" Tarkin ordered.

"Obi-Wan _is _here. The Force is with him." Lord Vader said with conviction.

"If you are right, he must not be allowed to escape." Tarkin said.

"Escape is not is his plan!" Vader informed Tarkin. "I must face him. _Alone_." Lord Vader stressed before leaving the room.

xxxxxxxx


	5. Chase

xxxxxxxx

Ana swallowed at the sight of storm troopers in the entrance of the cell bay.

"Do you have a plan for getting out?" she asked over the noise of the blaster fire.

"I really didn't get that far." Luke Skywalker replied between blaster fire.

Ana glanced around the corridor; her eyes landed on the grating for the garbage pit.

She turned to Luke. "Can I borrow your blaster for a moment?"

xxxxx

Luke happily stripped off the storm trooper armor. It felt so good to be free of it!

"If we don't follow her too much we might get out of this alive." Han commented to Luke.

"I think she did well." Luke replied, giving Ana an encouraging smile.

Han grumbled something about women, causing Luke to shake his head.

xxxxx

Han nearly sighed with relief as he looked down on the Falcon. They were nearly out of this place.

"We're flying in that thing?" Princess Ana asked, sounding frightened.

"She's got it where it counts." Han replied coolly.

With that they small group pulled away from the observation port and moved on.

They didn't get very far when the ran into a squad of storm troopers. "It's them!" The leader said. "Blast them!" Han shot first and promptly raced after them with Chewbacca on his heels.

"Get back to the ship!" He yelled back to them.

xxxxx

Luke watched for a moment as Han disappeared down the corridor.

"Is he very brave or very stupid?" Princess Ana asked.

"I have wondered that myself." Luke answered, leading the princess in the opposite direction.

xxxxx

Han smiled as he chased the storm troopers down the corridors. He hadn't had fun like this since he and Angel got chased by police droids.

He turned the corner and screamed in shock. The storm troopers had literally led him into a trap. He shot one and raced back the way he came praying that none of the guys trained with the 501st.

xxxxx

Luke and Princess Ana raced through the corridors of the station, trying to stay a few steps ahead of the storm troopers.

Luke suddenly felt something cold nearby. He glanced down a corridor and discovered that a figure dressed head to toe in black stood there. "You will never escape the Death Star alive!" a woman's voice snapped from behind the veil.

"Lady Vader!" Princess Ana yelped.

Luke tore off, dragging the princess behind him.

"I will deal with them myself," Lady Vader voice said from somewhere behind them.

xxxxx

Lady Vader smiled grimly as she chased the princess and one of her rescuers through the corridors of the Death Star. If there was one thing that she hated besides Jedi and the Emperor, it was being deceived.

Her smile grew; they were cornered, for now.

The boy fired a few shots at her before the princess closed the door. It didn't matter since she had deflected the shots into the walls. The smell of burning components reached her. One of the idiots had fried the controls to the extend the bridge across the chasm if she wasn't mistaken.

She waited for a few moments before walking towards the door and using the Force to open it. She smiled as the boy and the princess swung across the chasm and to the other side of the bridge. They were more clever than she had expected and she found that she was actually enjoying herself.

She took a few steps back, ran forward and leaped across the chasm. Her hands came up, latched on to the edge of the bridge and pulled herself up.

xxxx

Luke peered over his shoulder and nearly froze at the sight of apparently Lady Vader pulling herself up onto the edge of the bridge.

"You can run but you can't hide from me!" She yelled.

Luke raced with the princess down the corridors and just narrowly managed to escape through a blast door.

xxxxx

Lord Vader tipped his head to one side as Obi-Wan Kenobi rounded a bend in the corridor and frowned. For some reason it seemed profoundly wrong to see Obi-Wan looking so old.

He mentally shook himself and walked forward, igniting his lightsaber at the same time Obi-Wan ignited his.

"I've been waiting for you Obi-Wan!' he sneered. "We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner; now _I_ am the Master." He informed his old Master.

"Only a Master of evil Darth." Obi-Wan said calmly.

With that their sabers met. They slashed at each other, dove to one side or the other and forced each other to switch the direction they were facing.

"Your powers are weak old man!" Lord Vader hissed at his old Master.

"You can't win Darth." Obi-Wan stated calmly. "If you strike me down I shall become more powerful then you can possibly imagine."

Lord Vader made a hissing noise that sounded like a curse. Their lightsabers met again and he shoved Obi-Wan half way down the corridor. "You should have not have come back!" Lord Vader spat at Obi-Wan as he advanced on him.

xxxxx

Finally the hangar came into sight. Luke breathed a sigh of relief.

"What kept you?" Han asked.

"I ran into an old friend." Princess Ana said.

"Is the ship alright?" Luke panted.

"I think so." Han said. "Let's hope that the old man got the tractor beam out of commission."

A strange noise filled the air and the troopers guarding the Falcon suddenly left.

"Look!" Princess Ana cried.

Han smiled. "Now is our chance! Go!" he whispered.

The group raced silently across the hangar and the droids joined them.

The strange noise was louder here.

Luke glanced in the direction of the noise and froze. "Ben?" he called out and took a few steps closer to where Ben stood fighting a tall figure dressed in unrelieved black.

Luke watched as Ben glanced at him then behind before turning back to face his opponent.

xxxx

Obi-Wan had felt Luke's presence coming closer for some time and was relieved when he sensed that he was in the hangar.

He hazarded a glance into the hangar.

"If I were you I would be more worried about what was behind me." Vader hissed softly. Obi-Wan glanced behind him and saw another figure dressed in black coming towards him, a lightsaber in hand.

Obi-Wan had heard of Lady Vader back on Tatooine. He had heard the rumors. Obi-Wan knew for a fact that Vader had eyes for one female and one female only: Padmé Amidala. And the Temple had had no infants. Most likely she was an infant that he had taken to train as an apprentice. Now he felt something strange, but it didn't matter. Leia was gone and whoever this girl was, she was clearly lost. Luke was the only hope for the Jedi and the galaxy. He must escape at all costs.

Obi-Wan turned back to face Lord Vader, smiled and lifted his lightsaber up away from his body in a gesture of surrender.

xxxxx

Lord Vader frowned then smiled.

_If this is some sort of trap I might as well spring it, _he thought and swung.

He felt slight resistance then none as Obi-Wan's cloak fell to the deck, empty.

"NO!" A voice echoed across the hangar.

Lord Vader paid the voice no attention as he stepped on the empty cloak, trying to determine what had just happened. He was aware of his daughter coming towards him, radiating confusion and the troopers opening fire.

"Where did he go?" his daughter asked as she bent down to examine the remains of the cloak.

"We will figure that out another day." He told her and turned to the hangar. "And don't play with that!"

"I wasn't playing," she objected, "but can I keep it?"

Vader gave her a long look. "Very well," he allowed as he walked forward. He felt something from the farm boy still staring in horror.

"Blast the door, kid!" A man's voice yelled, pulling the young man from his shock .

He quickly took in the beings in the hangar: Princess Ana, a wookiee, the farm boy and another man with his face turned toward the misleading ship . Then the blast door closed in his face.

xxxxx

Ana watched Luke Skywalker as he sat at the game table, lost in thought. She sat down next to him and handed him a mug of blue milk.

"I can't believe that he's gone." Luke whispered.

Ana hesitated. "There wasn't anything you could have done." She said at last, wishing she could offer more comfort and feeling inadequate.

xxxxx

Lady Vader followed her father into a hangar where a ship was waiting to take her to Coruscant.

"You will go straight to Coruscant and wait for me there. Do not do anything to the pilots. The Emperor wants you to train with Mara Kryze two days a week. He feels that you are the only suitable sparing partner for her."

She nodded, brightening a little.

"And let Ject know that I am busy but I will return once business is done here." Her father told her.

"I love you Father." She whispered softly.

"I love you too, my little Angel," her father whispered back.

xxxxx


	6. Who is Lady Vader?

xxxxx

Luke sat next to Han in the Falcon's cockpit.

"Do you believe in love at first sight, Han?" Luke asked the smuggler. Han was silent for a moment. "Kid, I believe you can fall for a girl before you have even laid eyes on her. I did." Han smiled fondly. "She could give you a run for your money as far as flying and racing swoop bikes are concerned. She's intelligent and feisty, not afraid to say what she thinks of you or other people and boy does she know how to fight." Han looked pensive.

"What happened to her? Why isn't she here?" Luke asked.

"Someone didn't want me to marry her and there are a few people even I won't cross." Han explained, his tone making it clear that he did not intend to say more on the subject.

Luke returned to the thought that had sparked the question. "I saw this girl on Tatooine a day or two before I left. I instantly felt connected to her, but I never had a chance to find out who she was. She was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen even though I barely saw her long enough to see that she had brown hair and eyes and she drove a military grade speeder bike. I feel as though we will meet again."

"Kid, about half the girls in the galaxy have brown hair and eyes and most of them are prettier than any girls you might have seen in that backwater you call home," Han said in a reasoning tone. "Besides if she had a military grade speeder bike she's probably not someone you want to meet again. A military grade speeder bike on Tatooine means she was probably either a bounty hunter or one of the Emperor's elite. You're not exactly in the Emperor's good graces at the moment."

"You never know." Luke replied fatalistically. A comfortable silence fell between the two men. "What's her name?" Luke asked Han. "The girl you fell in love with."

"I called her Angel," Han replied.

xxxxxx

Seventeen year old Mara Jade Kryze watched as an Imperial Shuttle landed in the hangar bay she was in. She smiled broadly as the gangplank lowered and her best friend, Angel, walked down the gangplank.

"How was the Death Star?" Mara asked, curious.

Angel snorted. "A waste of credits in my opinion." Angel replied. "It can destroy a planet, but it is slow, unmaneuverable, and Governor Tarkin is just the sort of idiot to believe that raw power equals invincibility."

Mara nodded her agreement. "Not to mention that he has the morals of a male Kath Hound near a female in heat," she added with a wink.

Angel laughed. "That's true," she agreed. "Did you know he was having an affair with Daala?" Lady Vader asked as they walked down the hall of the Imperial Palace.

"Really? I wonder what his wife would do if she found out?" Mara asked mischievously. The two friends took out their lightsabers as they entered the training room.

"I don't know. If I win four out of five you have to help me set it up so we can find out."

"Challenge accepted," Mara agreed with a grin, thinking she just might do it anyway. Still, she had no intention of losing. She swung her lightsaber in an arc that sent showers of sparks flying as Angel blocked it. They fought fiercely for several minutes before backing off to circle each other warily as they caught their breaths.

"My father killed Obi-Wan Kenobi," Angel suddenly said. "On the Death Star just before I came here."

"Good riddance!" Mara spat. Mara had spent a lot of her young life hearing things about the Jedi from her mother Satine Kryze, Duchess of Mandalore. She had admired the Jedi until Emperor Palpatine drafted her into his personal group of spies and assassins. That was when she found out that her father had abandoned her mother once she told him that she was pregnant because he was a Jedi and it wasn't the Jedi Way to form attachments. It seemed all too convenient that Jedi were forbidden to have families, yet there was apparently no rule about fathering offspring. If her father was such a stickler for the rules, the emperor had pointed out, then it was doubtful that he had loved her mother at all. What she couldn't understand was how her mother could still respect the Jedi after what her father had done.

An officer standing rigidly at attention in the doorway interrupted her thoughts. "Ladies, the Emperor commands both of you to join him in the Throne Room." Judging by Angel's reaction, Mara was not the only one to have her thoughts interrupted.

xxxxx

Lord Vader felt the destruction of the Death Star as he frantically fought his damaged ship back under control. He swallowed hard. Somehow his Master was going to find a way to blame him for this whole mess. He prayed that the punishment would not involve his Angel.

The only bright spot was that the pilot who had fired the shots that destroyed the Death Star was a Force Sensitive. It meant that the hunt for him was on and it was a hunt that Lord Vader intended to win. The Emperor would be more forgiving with the rebel responsible punished.

xxxx

Luke watched the screen, dazed.

" - nothing new on what the station was but it is confirmed that Lord Vader is one, if not the only, survivor of it's destruction." A pretty female Togruta reporter said to the camera droid.

"Blast!" someone cried as the reporter listed the estimated death toll. "What does it take to kill the man?"

"Lord Vader was defending the station from Rebel attackers when his fighter was damaged and thrown into deep space. Lord Vader returns to Coruscant today to report to Emperor Palpatine about the events that transpired that day." The Togruta continued. "He has refused to comment, as usual, but as we can see..." The camera droid suddenly moved and two figures in black cloaks were seen embracing on a landing pad. "He is grateful to be home. We can only imagine Lady Vader's relief. For several days Lady Vader feared that she had been orphaned by the Rebels before a Star Destroyer reported that Lord Vader was alive," the reporter continued.

"Something isn't right about Lord Vader," someone commented. "His gait seems wrong and he only put his left arm around Lady Vader."

Wedge switched off the screen with a disgusted snort as the reporter turned the story into an impassioned plea for citizens to report any rebel presence in their system or any known rebel sympathizers.

Luke finally decided to ask the question that had been preying on his mind. "Who is Lady Vader?"

Everyone in the room stared at him. "No one really knows who she is." Wedge Antilles said after several heartbeats of silence. "All we know is that four or five days after the Emperor revealed Lord Vader to the galaxy he acquired an infant. He never told anyone where she had come from, if she was his or even her name. She has simply been called Lady Vader as long as anyone can remember." Wedge explained.

"No one knows who she is?" Luke asked, curious. Kiven Rayger nodded. "Some women have claimed that Lady Vader is their daughter and that Lord Vader stole her shortly after she was born. But seeing that there are at least thirty women that claim Lady Vader as their daughter most likely they are lying just to get five minutes of fame. The Galactic Enquirer is full of such stories. Others claim that he killed Lady Vader's mother after she gave birth because he wanted the child or the mother betrayed him with another man. Others claim that she was given to him because her family couldn't take care of her and they wanted a better life for her." Kiven shrugged. "Too many possibilities and no proof that any are true."

"Well what do you think?" Luke asked the group.

"I believe that Lord Vader is too inhuman to have had a relationship with a woman." Wedge said flatly. "Mostly likely Lady Vader is an orphan or maybe even an infant that was spared at the Jedi Temple. He probably raised her to be used in the service of the Empire."

Everyone else in the room put in their two credits. Only Han remained silent. "What about you, Han? What do you think?"

Han scowled at Luke. "You had to ask, kid. I think Lord Vader is more than he seems. I think that he lost many people that were special to him. I believe that he truly loved Lady Vader's mother, whoever she was, and still mourns her death. I think Lady Vader is one of the few people Vader cares about and he would do anything to protect his daughter."

"You mean –" Luke began.

"Yes. I believe Lady Vader is his blood daughter.

There was silence for several seconds before more than one person started to laugh.

"I suppose next you'll try to tell me that the first child Queen Breha and Viceroy Organa tried to adopt is still alive and we can watch her dance at The Sky Dancer Club every Zheliday." A middle aged man mocked.

Han scowled and stalked out.

xxxx

Lady Vader watched as medical droids worked on replacing her father's broken cybernetic right leg and right arm.

The damage wasn't as bad as it could have been but all Lady Vader could think was how close she came to being truly orphaned. And by Rebels no less.

"I am fine Angel." Her Father said suddenly. "I will heal and then we will hunt every last member of the Rebel Alliance down and exterminate them."

Lady Vader smiled. She would enjoy that immensely.

xxxxxxxx


	7. Waiting

_Sorry that this took so long. This is more of a bridge chapter._

_xxxxxxx_

_One year later . . ._

Luke was staring out the viewport in utter boredom when Han came in. He hated waiting more than anything. A muffled clank made him turn around. The sight of Han Solo with a backpack on the room's only table greeted him. Luke was curious as to what was in the backpack

"You ever play holo cards, Kid?" Han asked with a grin.

Luke shook his head. Han gestured for him to sit while he explained the rules. "That seems simple enough," Luke said at the end of the explanation.

Han grinned again. "Good. Now I know you don't have credits to burn, but you can't play holo cards without making wagers, Which is why I have these." Han indicated several small bags to the side. He then proceeded to divide the bags between them.

Luke pulled open the top of one bag. "Spice drops?" he asked.

"And angel's kisses, along with a few other things. Don't tell me you don't like sweets." He waited for Luke's denial. "I like sweets." Luke replied. "Good. We'll say a bag of spice drops is ten credits and the angel's kisses one hundred." Han said.

They played a few rounds. Luke won twice, but he got the unsettling feeling that Han was letting him win. They were just starting another round when Han set a bag of angel's kisses on the table with a grin. "Let's make this round a little more interesting, Kid."

"More interesting? Luke asked with mild trepidation.

"If you win then you get whatever I put on the table and I have to answer one of your questions, but if I win then I get to ask you a question," Han said. "Deal?"

Luke nodded as he set a bag of spice drops on the table, forgetting his suspicions. His hand was pretty good this round and he had to admit that he would love to ask Han a question or two. He really thought he had a winning hand this time. There were only two possible hands that could beat it. He laid down his cards. "Imperial Senate," he announced.

"Good, kid...but not good enough." Han laid down his cards. "Jedi Council?" Luke asked in disbelief. That's almost impossible to make."

Han put his feet up on the edge of the table. "What can I say, kid? The cards love me." He popped a spice drop in his mouth. "Now, I think you owe me a question."

Luke stared at Han, curious as to what question he would ask. It wasn't like Luke's life had been full of adventure before he met Han.

Han sat silently for a few seconds. Luke was just beginning to wonder if he was going to ask him a question at all when Han spoke. "Kid, I heard you say to Princess Ana awhile back that your father is dead; but what makes you so sure? You grew up with your aunt and uncle on one of the most forsaken planets in the galaxy."

"Uncle Owen told me he was dead long ago." Luke replied.

"Did he actually see him die?" Han pressed.

"I doubt it. He told me my father was a navigator on a spice freighter. I think he knew as little as he could about my father."

"Then what makes you think he's really dead?" Han asked, putting his feet down and leaning intently forward. "If he was wrong – or outright lied – about what your father was, couldn't he be wrong about your father being dead?"

Luke shrugged indifferently, but he felt a momentary surge of hope. If his father was still alive...but no. "Uncle Owen was not the only one to tell me," Luke said softly, regretfully. "Ben told me he was dead. Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker. Ben wouldn't lie to me. My father is dead and nothing can change that."

Han watched him silently for a few moments, as though gaging whether or not to continue this line of questioning. Luke felt some relief when Han leaned back again. "You up for another round Kid?"

xxxxx

Lady Vader paced the bridge of Executor, waiting for their spies to report in. Their spies were supposed to be the best in the galaxy, yet it had been a year already and still no one had discovered the identity of the rebel pilot responsible for destroying the Death Star.

Apparently, her father felt the same impatience because he had brought them here as soon as he received the message that they were close to finding the man's true identity. It also appeared that 'close' was far too relative a term. She could sense her father's impatience, but she doubted anyone else on the bridge could tell from his calm stance.

Finally a lieutenant came up to her father and handed him a datapad, bowed, and retreated. Lady Vader tried to conceal her impatient anticipation as she watched her father read the datapad. Soon she would know the identity of the rebel scum that dared take on her father. She watched as he straightened, radiating shock. The initial shock led to a turmoil of emotions: curiosity, confusion and fury.

Lady Vader bit her lip. Her father rarely showed his emotions in front of others, especially his crew, yet his external calm was shattered. Several officers glanced at him in concern, but none dared to speak. She watched as he turned away from the datapad and stared out the nearest viewport, into space. She wanted to approach him but she sensed it would be better to wait.

"What is it, Father?" she asked when the curiosity grew unbearable.

Her father didn't answer her directly. "I will be in my chambers; do not interrupt me for anything less than the Emperor himself," he directed. He absently handed the 'pad to her and walked off the bridge, lost in thought.

Lady Vader watched him go, torn between following after him to ask what was bothering him and reading the report. Finally she chose to read the report. It was short and to the point.

_The rebels have been tight-lipped about the pilot that destroyed the Death Star. We have heard stories of his exploits repeatedly, but no one gives a name to outsiders. We finally found a supplier willing to talk. We convinced her that we weren't a security threat. The rebel pilot goes by the name Luke Anak Skywalker. Preliminary checks indicate that this is his real name. We will continue to search for more information unless otherwise instructed._

Lady Vader frowned as she finished skimming through the report, feeling a confusion of emotions to match her father. Skywalker wasn't a common name but neither was it rare. Could it be that – no, it was impossible. Besides she would know; her father would have told her.

She shook her head to clear the mixture of hope and fear. This Luke Skywalker was a rebel, a traitor. The only thing she should be thinking in regard to him was how to destroy him.

xxxxxx


	8. The Empire Strikes Back

This chapter has seen some revisions!

xxxxxx

_Two years later . . ._

Luke Skywalker rode the tauntaun over the snowy planes of Hoth. He hated the cold of the planet. It was a good place to hide from the Empire; but for how long?

Luke never liked patrols on planets, he preferred to patrol space in his X-Wing fighter, but General Rieekin had zero tolerance for complainers so Luke wisely kept his mouth shut.

Luke pulled the reins, bringing the tauntaun to a halt. Pulling off his goggles he looked across the barren landscape. It reminded him a little too much of Tatooine except that instead of oppressive heat and reddish sand there was numbing cold and nothing but white snow and a few gray rocks as far as the eye could see.

Something suddenly fell from the sky and landed a short distance away.

Curious Luke retrieved his macro-binoculars and pressed them to his eyes. Something wasn't quite right about the meteorite; it wasn't giving off enough steam or smoke.

A frown crossed Luke's face.

Quickly he lifted his left hand and dusted off some snow. "Echo Three to Echo Seven, Han buddy do you read me?" Luke asked into the commlink built into the glove.

"_Loud and clear Kid. What's up?"_ Han's voice asked.

"Well, I finished my circle and I haven't picked up any lifeform readings." Luke told his friend.

"_There is barely enough life on this ice cube to fill a Pod Racing Arena on Tatooine," _Han commented. "_Sensors are in place so I am heading back_."

Luke smiled. "Alright, I'll see you shortly. There's something that hit the ground here, it might be a meteorite but it wouldn't hurt to make sure," Luke said.

"_Just be careful, Kid. It'll get cold awfully quick out there once the sun goes down._"

"I will," Luke reassured him patiently and then ended the transmission. Luke had no intention of staying out here any longer than he had to. He knew the dangers as well as anyone else. But he took such warnings from Han without complaint because unlike Uncle Owen's, they didn't feel restrictive. Han wasn't that much older than Luke, but he had experience that Luke lacked. He was at least as good a friend as any he had back on Tatooine. In fact, in many ways, Han was more like an older brother. He liked the idea of having a brother.

Suddenly the tauntaun brayed and moved agitatedly. "Stead girl, steady." Luke said gently. "What's the matter? Do you smell something?" he asked playfully. Luke turned his head to survey the landscape when a creature materialized out of the blowing whiteness of the snowy plain, roaring ferociously.

Luke had no time to react. The creature caught him on the right side of his face causing him to fall, unconscious, to the snowy ground. He never even saw the creature break the neck of his tauntaun.

xxxxx

Lady Vader held her lightsaber casually. Remotes, even on their most difficult setting, were child's-play compared to practicing with a living partner, but her Father was busy and Mara was on another assignment, so if she wanted to get in some practice, it was the remotes, her father's dueling droids, or nothing. She effortlessly deflected several blasts and sighed in boredom. She had hoped to work off her frustration at the lack of progress, but this was clearly not enough of a workout. She considered adding another three or four remotes and possibly one of her father's dueling droids. She would have to repair it afterwards if it was damaged, but perhaps that would be enough of a challenge.

She felt a sharp pain in her cheek, and clapped a hand to it. There was no damage, though it stung as though someone had slapped her. She must have missed the last shot while her mind had been on other things. She was disgusted and a little ashamed of her lack of focus. She put her mind back to the task. She would finish here and return to her quarters to meditate. If she missed the remote going off completely, her emotions were far more unsettled than she thought and it would not do for the same thing to happen in the middle of a battle. Her mind must be clear, so that the Force could flow more strongly through her.

She finally finished her workout and headed back to her quarters.

She slipped on to her meditation mat and closed her eyes.

Before her eyes was Han Solo. Her throat constricted. Three years ago she had been practicing when her father came in and told her that Han was dead. He had taken an assignment in the Outer Rim and there he had saved several men from a Rebel attack only to be captured and tortured to death. The Rebels had sent his dog chip back.

She hadn't wanted to believe it. She knew her father wouldn't knowingly lie to her, but the Emperor could have lied to him.

And there was always the chance that Han had escaped. People said he had the devil's own luck. Surely he was resourceful enough to escape the Rebels, even if he had been injured. She had held the dog tag in her own two hands, but they could be removed without killing the owner. The Rebels would have wanted to remove it right away lest the signal from it give away their position. And so she had waited for him to come home to her, refusing to believe the report her father showed her. She would know if Han were dead. She would know.

Tears ran down her cheeks. When he hadn't made his way back to her in a month, she started to doubt herself. After a year, she knew it had to be true. Angrily she wiped the tears away; they wouldn't bring Han back to life. The best she could do was seek revenge.

xxxx

Han groaned. The Falcon still wasn't ready to go. He found himself wishing for Angel and her father. If they helped him repair the Falcon, it would be running right now, even with this outdated, salvaged junk to work with. He tried not to take it out on Chewie; it wasn't his fault. The Falcon's wiring should have been replaced at least a year ago.

3PO bustled self-importantly over with R2 in tow. "Captain Solo, Princess Ana has been trying to reach you on the communicator." The Protocol Droid informed him prissily.

Han bit back a groan. The princess had been trying to get him to change his mind about leaving.

"I turned it off." He told the droid. "If I told her once, I've told her a million times, I need to pay off Jabba the Hutt. We've got enough to deal with fighting the Empire, without bounty hunters constantly on my tail. You can tell her -"

"But sir, it's Master Luke. She doesn't know where he is." The droid announced.

"Is that all?" Han asked exasperated. "Well I don't know where he is."

"Nobody knows where he is." the Droid replied.

Han frowned. "What do you mean 'nobody'?" he demanded. Han turned to the man surveying the ships in the bay and shouted, "Deck Officer! Deck Officer!"

"Yes sir?" the Deck Officer asked politely.

"Have you seen Commander Skywalker?" Han asked.

"I haven't seen him." The man said. "It's possible that he came in through the South Entrance."

"Possible?" Han asked, shocked by the lack of order. He was not completely successful about keeping the sarcasm out of his voice as he suggested, "Why don't you go find out; it's getting dark out there."

The Deck Officer nodded, his face neutral. "Yes sir." Han supposed there were some perks to being a hero to the Rebels. If he used that tone in any other place it would not have gone so well.

"Pardon me, but may I inquire as to what's going on?" 3PO asked Han curiously.

"Why not?" Han asked as he walked away.

xxxxxxx

"He did what?" Ana nearly demanded.

"He went out into the storm to find Commander Skywalker," the Deck Officer explained.

Ana bit the inside of her lip. Han might infuriate her at times, but he was almost as close a friend as Luke. She couldn't bear the thought of losing both of them, especially not to a stupid blizzard on this forsaken planet. "I expect to be informed the instant they return."

"Yes, Princess," the deck officer agreed, but she could see in his face how unlikely he thought that would be.

xxxxx

Luke collapsed for the final time and lay slowly freezing to death in the snow. He knew he needed to keep moving, but he wasn't completely sure which direction he needed to go and he was so tired...

"**Luke, Luke!"** A familiar voice called.

Luke sluggishly lifted his head to see a ghostly apparition of Ben Kenobi, "Ben?" he whispered incredulously. Was this a dream? Perhaps he was really still on the Falcon and all of this was nothing more than a dream.

"**You will go to the Dagobah System."** Ben's voice said.

"Dagobah System?" Luke asked faintly. No, this couldn't be a dream. It was far too cold. Yet, the Force told him this was no hallucination. His mind felt thick from the cold, so he could do no more than memorize the information Ben was giving him.

"**There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master that instructed me."** Ben told him.

Luke tried to push himself up. "Ben!" he cried as the Jedi vanished and the faint brays of a tauntaun reached him. He heard Han calling his name but he was too tired to answer him. He just mumbled the instructions over and over. He must remember. He vaguely felt hands turning him over as he slipped into unconsciousness.

xxxxx

Lord Vader walked into his daughter's chambers aboard his Super Star Destroyer, frowning. He had heard Lady Vader was acting strangely, but it was almost as hot as Tatooine in there. A quick search of the chambers found Lady Vader wrapped in a blanket.

"Angel, what's wrong?" he asked her.

"I'm so cold," she whispered.

Vader knelt in front of his daughter and pushed her hood back, feeling her forehead gently. There was no fever as he had suspected. He knew that there was a reason behind his daughter's bout of chills but he wasn't quite sure exactly what it meant. He intended to know very soon.

"It should fade in time, Angel." he reassured her.

Lady Vader, racked by another bout of shivers, simply nodded. Yes, he would know very soon what this was about and put a stop to it. This was unacceptable.

xxxx

Han paced the Med Center, relieved. Luke was going to live and was recovering by the minute. He had put off leaving to repay Jabba in the hope that he could speak to Luke one more time. Who could say what kind of trouble the Kid could get into while Han was away.

Ana and Chewie were equally anxious to see him, though Ana preferred sitting in a chair wringing her hands to pacing and Chewie was far too big to do any pacing in this room.

Finally the a medical droid entered the waiting area. "You may go and see him now," it told them. Ana wasted no time walking into the room while Han lingered in the waiting area with Chewie. Ana would be all teary and emotional and he had no intention of being caught up in that.

Finally he summed up his courage and entered the room. "How ya feeling Kid?" he asked once he was through the door.

"I'm feeling fine." Luke replied.

"You look strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark." he commented.

Luke smiled. "Thanks to you."

"That's two you owe me, Junior!" Han said jokingly. He turn then to Princess Ana. "Is there anything I need to know about?" He asked her.

"General Rieekan thinks it's too dangerous for any ships to leave until we activate the energy shield." Ana said.

Han groaned. "Did you put him up to that? You know I need to pay off Jabba the Hutt. If I don't pay him soon, I'm gonna be dealing with a plague of bounty hunters."

Luke winced. He had heard horror stories about those that didn't pay off Jabba the Hutt.

"Well I am sorry, but General Rieekan doesn't think it's a good idea," Ana stated flatly, clearly stung by Han's accusation. "And while I didn't suggest it, I agree with him. You are too valuable to waste. If the Empire can't find us, bounty hunters don't stand a chance. You're safer here with us."

"You mean with you," Han retorted. "I got news for you: I've got a girl already and she's the only woman I will ever love."

Ana blinked away tears. "I have never had feelings for you and never will!" she said coolly. "In fact, I have no intention of falling in love with any man. Ever."

"Pter Ahgents could tell a different story." Luke teased.

Ana's cheeks reddened.

"_All Senior Officers please report to the Command Center,"_ a voice said over the speakers. "_All Senior Officers report to the Command Center."_

Han watched as Princess Ana stalked out. "Don't do anything stupid," Han directed as soon as he was sure Ana was far enough down the hall that he wouldn't meet up with her again until he reached the Command Center. He hurried out before Luke could answer.

xxxxx 

Alright the next chapter should be up soon.


	9. Plans

Ninth chapter! I am so excited about this fic!

I added something to the last chapter so please review it! I am sorry about it but my Beta added something that is VERY important to the fic. It explains something.

Hope everyone was safe yesterday.

Okay enough talking and on to the fic.

xxxxxxx

General Rieekan looked up as Princess Ana entered the Command Center and nodded. Ana returned the nod and waited for everyone else to arrive.

Slowly more people trickled in.

Finally Rieekan spoke.

"Everyone, we have an unidentified visitor; it's not too far from the base and it's moving east," he informed the small gathering.

"It's metal," an officer reported.

"Then it cannot be a native," Ana declared.

"Could it be a speeder? One of ours?" Han asked.

A small smile formed on Ana's face, pleased that Han considered himself a rebel.

"No, wait; there's something weak coming through," a tech reported.

Everyone listened to the gibberish on the speakers. Ana's smile melted away. It sounded like code.

"Sir," 3PO said. "I am well versed in many forms of communication. This signal is not used by the Alliance." The droid declared. "In fact it sounds like a variation of an Imperial code."

Han listened for a bit longer, trying to remember if he had ever heard it in his Imperial days. He was coming up empty. "It can't be friendly whatever it is," Han said at last. "Chewie, let's go check it out."

xxxxxx

Ana waited for Han and Chewbacca to report in. Finally Han's voice came over the speakers. "Got it! I'm afraid there's not much left," Han reported with mild chagrin.

"What was it?" Ana demanded.

"Droid of some kind. I didn't hit it that hard so it must have had a self destruct," he said.

"An Imperial Probe droid," Ana spat.

"Then it's a good bet that the Empire knows we're here," Han replied. "If it was transmitting then reinforcements can't be far behind.

"We better start the evacuations," Rieekan said urgently. Ana nodded, cold fear gripping her heart. She just prayed that the Force would be with them long enough to escape yet again.

xxxxxx

Lady Vader stood with her father on the bridge of _Executor_ looking out of the center viewport.

Her father was impatient for the reports from the probe droids. Truth be told she was impatient for the reports to come in as well. She wanted those blasted Rebels to pay for killing the man that she loved and for inspiring the riots that had cost her guards. Those guards had been more than protectors, they had been the next thing to family and they didn't deserve what had been done to them.

She hated waiting! She began to pace the deck. At least she no longer felt as if she was going to freeze to death, something that she was grateful for. She hated being cold.

A raised voice caught her attention. Lady Vader turned her head in the direction of the voice, Admiral Kendal Ozzel was yelling at Captain Firmus Piett, again. _Ozzel is such an idiot!_ she thought.

Her father suddenly moved away from the viewport and down the center catwalk of the bridge. It was then that she realized that the argument was about a report from a probe droid. Lady Vader quickly hurried after her father.

"You found something?" her father asked the captain.

"Yes my lord." Captain Piett said, moving aside so that both Vaders could see the screen. Several images showed up on the screen: some ancient snow speeders and a power generator. _The Rebels are there!_ the Force whispered.

"That's it!" Her father declared triumphantly. "The Rebels are there!"

Admiral Ozzel swallowed. "My lord, there are so many uncharted settlements," he began, "it could be smugglers it could be-"

"Smugglers on an ice ball?" Lady Vader demanded. "The cost of building a base let alone heating it wouldn't be worth their while."

"That is the system!" Her father hissed at Ozzel. "And I am sure that Skywalker is with them. Set your course for the Hoth System."

Her father turned to General Veers, who was standing nearby. "General Veers, prepare your men." With that he turned and left the bridge. Lady Vader followed.

xxxxxx

General Veers swallowed as he walked into Lord Vader's private chambers. Lord Vader was sitting on his meditation mat on the deck. After a moment his head came up. General Veers tried to disguise a shiver of fear. He wished Admiral Ozzel had assigned anyone else to bring the news. Lord Vader was well-known for his temper, especially when given bad news.

"What is it General?" he asked politely, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"My lord the fleet has moved out of lightspeed." Veers started. "Comscan has detected an Energy Shield protecting an area of the sixth planet of the Hoth System. The shield is strong enough to deflect any bombardment," Veers reported nervously.

Lord Vader's eyes turned from their dead icy blue to poisonous yellow, filled with anger. Veers swallowed. It was never good when Lord Vader's eyes changed color. Last time they changed color Admiral Hassan had died by strangulation. Neither Lord or Lady Vader had laid a finger on him. "The Rebels have been alerted to our presence." Lord Vader said rising and looked at one of the computer displays in the room. "Admiral Ozzel brought the fleet out of lightspeed too close to the system." he snarled.

"He felt that surprise was wiser th-" Veers began.

"He's as clumsy as he is stupid." Lord Vader spat, anger and displeasure evident in his voice. "General prepare your trooper for a surface attack." Lord Vader said after a moment of silence, turning to a computer screen.

"Yes my lord." Veers said quickly leaving the room. He did not want to witness the death of Admiral Ozzel. At least Piett would be a better Admiral than Ozzel. Veers just hoped he was good enough. He thanked his planet's Deities that he was in the Army and not the Navy because _he_ might be in line for admiral-ship. And that was something he didn't want. He rather be down with the troops commanding the battles in person. At least then, if he failed, it was doubtful he would survive long enough to suffer Vader's wrath.

xxxxx

Ana sighed. That had been close. If whoever was in charge of Death Squadron hadn't brought the fleet out of hyperspace so close to them they would never have known they were coming until it was too late to ready their defenses. Most likely the fool was dead for his error and for some reason, it didn't bother her.

If those ships had come out of hyperspace somewhere else . . . . Ana shook her head to clear out the what ifs. Clearly the Force was with them and that was enough.

Suddenly a hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see Pter Ahgents. "Be safe, sweetheart." He whispered, pulling her close.

Ana smiled reassuringly, allowing herself to melt into his arms. "You too," she whispered.

Pter smiled. "I'll see you at the rendezvous," he murmured in her ear.

"I'll be there." Ana whispered back. Ana smiled as Pter walked away. Pter was a true friend. She prayed that he would make it safely to the rest of the Rebel Fleet.

xxxxx

Luke hurried over to the briefing area for the Rogue Squadron. He expected to find the Rogues waiting nervously for orders. It wasn't every day that all personnel were ordered to report to duty stations. Iinstead he found them gathered around Hobbie laughing at something.

"What's so funny?" Luke asked as he got closer.

Most of the Rogues looked at him with a mixture of guilty and bemused expressions and tried to control their laughter.

"You've got to see this, Luke!" Jansen exclaimed, one of the few unfazed by his entrance. Before Luke knew it he was sitting on a crate with a datapad in his hands. Hobbie reached over and tapped the screen twice and soon a vid started playing. "One of the suppliers brought this while you were in the tank."

"Guys, we really don't have time for this." Luke objected, glancing around to see if anyone had come to brief them yet.

"Just watch." Jansen told him.

He turned his eyes back to the screen. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to watch while they were waiting. The vid showed some large room with a raised platform and a large group of people of all ages and species gathered in front of the platform. Luke recognized the Emperor, Lord and Lady Vader as well as several other officials from the Emperor's Court arrayed on the lowers steps.

Someone that Luke didn't recognize was droning on about the Death Star and the loyalty of the officers.

Luke felt a little sick. This must be some sort of memorial service for those who had died on the Death Star. What could possibly be funny about that? The Emperor and Lord Vader and the corrupt toadies who supported them were evil, but most of the men on that station had simply been following orders. He preferred not to think about the Death Star if he could help it. Destroying it had been necessary, he knew that. No one should have the ability to destroy entire planets. He had probably saved far more lives than he had taken...but he had still been personally responsible for more deaths than he cared to think about.

His finger hovered over the off button, ready to punch it. Suddenly a middle aged woman stalked across the open area and up to a female officer in her thirties. The slap the older woman gave the younger echoed across the suddenly silent square.

"You little harlot!" the middle aged woman screamed. "Don't think I don't know what you were doing with my husband!"

The other woman reacted with battle-hardened reflexes, knocking the enraged woman back. "Must you sully this solemn occasion with unfounded accusations?" The female officer demanded.

"Unfounded accusations!" the woman shrieked

Luke watched in horrified fascination as the argument devolved into a full-scale row.

Most people in the audience seemed as horrified as he was, while others, like the Emperor, seemed to find it somewhat amusing. In fact there was one striking young woman standing near Lady Vader who seemed to be struggling to hold back laughter. The look on her face was downright wicked.

Finally the Emperor waved his hand and several guards pulled the two woman apart and led them to opposite ends of the room. The unfamiliar man, unfazed by the disturbance continued to drone on about the officers aboard the Death Star as the clip came to an end.

"Who were they?" Luke asked.

"The older woman was Lady Tarkin, the late Governor Tarkin's wife," Hoobie explained.

"And the younger woman was a Captain Daala. And if the clip is anything to go by, Tarkin was cheating on his wife with Daala." Jansen added with a small smile on his face.

"I caught that. Where did this come from?" Luke asked.

"The supplier who brought it downloaded it off of GalVid. It already had over six hundred trillion views!" Hobbie said excitedly.

Luke shook his head. What was the galaxy coming to when something like this was considered entertainment? He liked his fellow Rouges, but he couldn't appreciate their juvenile sense of humor.

He handed back the datapad and stood to attention as an officer finally came in to give them some orders.

xxxxxxx 

The fight was slightly inspired by the Bones episode 'Double Death of Dearly Departed'. I mentioned to Bryg that we should have had a cat fight between Lady Tarkin and Daala but there wasn't a good way that we could do that so we decided to have Luke watch it just before the Battle of Hoth.


	10. Hoth Battle

Today I am ordering a new charger for my laptop since the old one got a loose wire.

Sorry for the delay!

xxxxxxx

Luke was sweating in his flight suit. The battle was fierce. There had been more then enough close calls for his comfort. He was pretty sure he had lost his gunner, Dak, in that last hit but he was too busy trying to stay alive and flying to check.

He glared at the Imperial Walker that had gotten in that lucky shot. It was a little too lucky for Luke's comfort. Whoever their gunner was seemed to be able to anticipate where the rebel ships would be before even their pilots knew and there were only three people he knew with that kind of aim - himself, Han and Vader. To add to his feelings of unease, the tow cables couldn't seem to attach properly to this Walker's feet. He had seen shots that looked as though they would stay and then they just slipped off again. It was really vexing and just a little frightening.

Luke set his mouth in a determined line. That Walker was going to fall. It had to, or there might not be enough time to evacuate everyone.

xxxxxxx

Lady Vader smiled as the Force Sensitive pilot came within her weapons range again. She carefully maneuvered the Walker's head and let loose a barrage of blaster fire. The snow speeder dodged most of it but she had cornered the pilot and the snow speeder went down, right in her path.

Part of her was gleeful that she had defeated the perfidious Rebel scum and another was nervous. Her father had given strict orders that the pilot be brought in alive and if he was crushed by her Walker . . . well she just might be in trouble again.

xxxxx

Luke ripped off his restraints and pushed up the canopy of his snow speeder. He froze for a moment at the sight of a Walker coming towards him, trying to decide the best course of action. It was going to step on him if he didn't hurry, but he didn't want to leave Dak.

He wiggled out of the cockpit, grabbed a few charges, and then tried to retrieve Dak's body, but it was quickly apparent that Dak was gone and there was no way he was going to free his body in time. Retrieving a body was not as important as saying alive to help the living.

Giving up, Luke threw himself as far from the downed snow speeder as he could just as the left front foot came down. He shivered for a moment, both from the cold and from the realization of how close he had cut it this time, but he didn't allow it to slow him down. An instant later, he had grabbed up the charges and was running after the Walker. The tow cables might not work on this one, but he had an idea, one that even this overly-lucky Walker shouldn't be immune to.

xxxxxxx

Lady Vader smiled. The Force Sensitive had not only survived the crash but he had escaped his snow speeder. Excellent. Her father would be pleased. With the Rebel grounded, it should be child's play to capture him, especially since he was still close enough for her to sense his presence. He would not be able to hide from her.

An ugly thought occurred to her. If she had just been shot down, her first thought would be to go after the ones who shot her down... "All troops watch for charges," she ordered the troopers in the hold.

"_Understood ma'am."_ A trooper answered. She thought she detected a hint of confusion in his voice, but he would obey. She turned her attention back to the battle. Perhaps it was time to take a more personal hand in the fighting...

xxxxx

Luke used the ascension cable to hook onto the belly of the lucky Walker and then let the cable carry him into the air. _Please don't notice me! Please don't notice me!_ Luke thought in an endless litany, sure that whoever was protecting this Walker would notice him while he was dangling there helpless.

Once he was up against the belly of the Walker, he cursed himself for not considering how he was going to get the charges in. He couldn't see any obvious openings. With a sigh he reached for his lightsaber to make a hole. Suddenly a panel opened and a lithe figure dressed for the cold slid down a rope nearly as fast as it could uncoil. He pressed himself against the Walker and his litany was as fervent as a prayer. _Please don't notice me!_

xxxxx

Lady Vader smiled wickedly as she rappelled from the belly of the Walker she had been controlling. It was time to fight the Rebels face to face. She dropped gracefully to the ground and then she raced across the snowy ground toward the Rebel lines, pulling out her lightsaber and new shoto in one smooth motion as she went.

Panicked cries filled her ears as she closed in on the fleeing Rebels. Several of them fired their weapons at her, but she easily deflected them into the snow. "Die, Rebel Scum!" she hissed, slashing at the first of the Rebels, entirely forgetting the Force-sensitive wandering around out there in the thrill of battle and revenge.

xxxxxx

Luke smiled grimly when he saw that no one had closed the hatch behind the rapeller. Quickly he activated a charge and tossed it inside, unclipped the ascension cable, and fell to the snow below.

The Walker moved onward a few steps before it exploded. A somber smile came to Luke's face. He had finally downed the blasted thing. That made one less way they could kill his friends.

xxxxxxx

General Veers watched as the Rebel Base's power generator grew closer. He asked the clone pilot how close they were to it. The Clone answered that it was close enough to hit, but far enough away that it wouldn't damage the Walker. Veers took aim, selected the highest power setting and fired.

The power generator exploded.

xxxxxxx

Han felt like throwing his tools, preferably at someone or something. Every time he thought that he was done something else went wrong. The Falcon needed to be ready to leave yesterday.

A rumbling noise filled the air and the station comms went dead. Han looked at the ceiling nervously. Clearly the outpost had taken severe damage and he rather suspected that the roof had become unstable. The last thing they needed was for the roof to collapse on the Falcon. Though it was nice not to have to listen to constant reports of doom and endless repetitions of instructions to evacuate immediately in an orderly manner.

Han hoped that all personnel had already evacuated whatever area had been hit. Then an unpleasant thought occurred to him. The one giving the evacuation orders had been Ana. Han looked at Chewie. "You finish up here. I'm going to go and see if the princess is still here." He hurried out of the ship and down the corridor that led to the control room.

It took awhile. Many of the corridors were blocked with debris already. He was about ready to give up when he found her stumbling through debris with 3PO trailing faithfully behind. "Why aren't you on your transport?" Han asked her.

"I had to give the evacuation signal and then the tunnel to my transport nearly collapsed on top of me. I've been trying to find another way to a ship," Ana explained, "but there is too much damage."

"Do you have a way to communicate with your ship?" he asked urgently.

She nodded and showed him the commlink she carried. Han snatched it out of her hand. "This is Han Solo. Princess Ana has been cut off from reaching her transport, but there is still a clear path to the Falcon. I'll get her out and we can rendezvous later," he informed the pilot as he yanked Ana toward the hangar where the Falcon was docked.

"Understood, Captain Solo," the pilot answered. "See you on the other side." Han just grunted in reply. He had a feeling that he would be more than ready for that rendezvous in a few hours. He just hoped both ships made it to the rendezvous point. Ana was a nice enough girl, she just had a way of getting on his nerves. Add to that 3PO's incessant whining and he would be lucky if he made it to the rendezvous sane.

xxxxx

Lord Vader entered the Rebel Base with several squads of storm troopers dressed for cold weather.

He reached out with the Force and smiled. Princess Ana was still here along with a very familiar presence. He led his troopers through the base towards the two Rebels. The roar of a ship's engines reached his ears and he entered a hangar just in time to see a YT-1300 fly away.

He felt a moment of annoyance, but he pushed it aside and reached for his commlink. "Admiral, there's a YT-1300 that just left the Rebel Base, you are to detain it," he ordered. "Try not to destroy it. I would like to have a few words with the passengers."

xxxxxx

Luke trudged tiredly through the snow towards his fighter. The sound of a ship had him turning his head, immediately followed by a relieved smile as the Millennium Falcon flew across the sky then angled upwards for space. _Good, Han got the Falcon working again._

Luke broke into an equally tired jog as he reached the place where the remaining fighters and ships waited for the last of the troops and pilots. "R2, get her ready for takeoff." Luke called to the little droid as he got closer to his own fighter. R2 beeped an affirmative and the X-Wing hummed to life.

"Bye Luke, see you at the rendezvous!" a fellow pilot called out.

"You too!" Luke responded before climbing into the cockpit and strapping in. A few minutes later they were headed for deep space.

**Where are we going?** R2 asked through the X-Wing's computer when it became apparent that they were not heading for the rendezvous.

"We're going to the Dagobah System." Luke told his friend.

**Why there?** R2 asked.

Luke replied, "There's a Jedi Master living there. He'll teach me how to use the Force."

**Ah!** R2 answered. **You will be a Jedi. That is good.**

**Don't like auto pilot?** R2 queried after a few moments of silence.

"I like to be in control of my ship as much as possible." Luke responded.

**Okay.** R2 said.

xxxxx

Ana was less than impressed with Captain Solo's flying. She grudgingly had to admit that a large part of the problem was that they were being chased by TIE Fighters and Star Destroyers. If he took a path that was less risky, they would be killed or captured in moments. But that just made her more edgy. She knew that a single miscalculation on Han's part would be the death of them and the longer they stayed, the more likely that became.

"Just make the jump to lightspeed!" Ana yelled at the insane Corellian.

"In a moment!" He yelled back, equally as irritable.

After a few hair-raising maneuvers, Han finally seemed to feel that it was time. "Prepare for the jump to lightspeed," Han told Chewie.

"But sir!" 3PO wailed.

"Shut up!" Ana snapped at the droid. How she hated 3PO, but there wasn't a way for her to get rid of him safely. She should have let Luke keep him. Luke seemed to actually like the whiny pessimistic personality the droid had been programmed with. If not for Luke, she would have had the golden droid wiped and reprogrammed with a more pleasant attitude.

Han pulled down the lever, the engines hummed...then died. "I tried to tell you, sir; I noticed that the hyperdrive motivator has been damaged!" 3PO informed Han. "It is impossible to go to lightspeed!"

Ana gasped in dismay while Han immediately leaped from his seat and raced for the back of his ship, cursing in a mixture of languages. Chewie took on the evasive flying, while she took up the position of copilot. At least now she had something to occupy her mind. It left less room to ponder her imminent death.

xxxxx 

Hopefully the time between this update and the next will be shorter.


	11. Aftermath

Dark Angel lives!

Sorry, that this took so long. NaNoWriMo has Bryg in it's thrall but her novel is great! And there are only about fifteen days left of NaNoWriMo which is a relief to me since Bryg and I are doing a fic together (it's only being posted on because I said something slightly rude about the series and some people have long memories.).

Either way thanks for reading to all.

For those wondering the identity of Angel aka Lady Vader you will have to wait for a little longer for her identity to be revealed. Hee hee hee.

Alright I mean it this time. Time for the story.

xxxxx

Han crawled through the inner workings of his ship, trying to find exactly what was wrong. So far he wasn't having any luck. He loved the Falcon, but at times like these, he wished that a few of her parts - namely the hyperdrive and a few other essential components - weren't scavenged from whatever was available wherever he happened to be when they died.

Suddenly the ship shuddered. Quickly he scrambled out of the crawl space and poked his head out of the access hatch. The ship shuddered again. _That wasn't a laser blast. _Han thought. _Something hit us, _he realized just as Ana's voice shouted, "Han get back up here!" over the ship's speakers. Han pulled himself out of the access hatch and hurried for the cockpit.

Ana turned to him the second the door opened. "Asteroids," she said grimly.

Han quickly glanced at 3PO to see that the droid was deactivated. He sighed with relief. That was one less aggravation to deal with. "Well, well, well." Han said as he took the pilot's seat. He knew it was a crazy idea as he did it, but he could feel it would work. With careful movements he maneuvered the Falcon into the asteroids.

"What are you doing!" Ana yelped. "You aren't entering the asteroid field are you?"

"They would be either crazy or extremely determined if they follow us." Han commented.

"You're crazy to do it in the first place." There was silence for several moments. "I would rather be tortured to death by the Empire then die out here!" Ana whispered.

"You don't mean that." Han said as he flew by feel and instinct. Angel and her father had showed him how and his time as a smuggler had honed his instincts. As long as he stayed alert and trusted his instincts, the Falcon had more than enough maneuverability to dodge the asteroids big enough to do any real damage. Most of the ships chasing them couldn't say that and the TIE pilots were unlikely to have the instincts or reflexes to pull it off.

Now Han was really glad that someone had turned off 3PO. He really didn't want to hear him whine and complain about the odds. Not when he needed all of his concentration for the task at hand. They flew for several minutes before Han spotted one of the bigger asteroids. Quickly he flew towards it. "What are you doing?" Ana yelped again.

"Finding a safe place to hide and repair my ship." Han spat, completely annoyed with the girl. "Unless I need your Highness's permission?" They had been travelling together off and on for long enough now that she should trust him.

They soared over the surface of the asteroid until Han saw it: a cave. "That looks good," he commented to Chewie before maneuvering the Falcon into the cave. Chewie roared an agreement. At least Chewie would back him up.

"I'm going to die young!" Ana whispered.

"Maybe." Han replied as he maneuvered the narrow passage. _Maybe I'll take care of it myself._

xxxxx

Luke frowned as they approached a planet.

"That's it: Dagobah." Luke told R2.

**Are you sure about this? You can always change your mind,** R2 said.

"No, I'm not going to change my mind about this." Luke told the droid. He frowned. "I'm not picking up any cities or technology. Massive lifeform readings though. There's _something_ alive down there." Luke commented, mostly to himself.

**Do you think it's safe for droids?** R2 inquired.

"Yes, I'm sure that it's perfectly safe for droids." Luke replied with some amusement. He wondered sometimes how old R2 must be to have developed a personality intelligent enough to be afraid. He liked it. It made R2 a friend rather than a tool.

Relying on the Force, Luke directed the X-Wing for the clouds. No sooner had Luke entered the atmosphere, then he lost all of his readings.

**We're flying blind!** R2 yelped.

"I know, I know!" Luke told the frightened droid. "All the scopes are dead and I can't see a thing. Just hang on, I'm going to start the landing cycle," he informed his friend.

R2 made a sound he interpreted as a curse as Luke hurriedly pushed and pulled the necessary buttons and levers. A few branches slapped against the canopy, hidden until the last second by gray mist. He barely had time to register their sudden absence when he felt an impact. Scummy water was nearly covering the canopy. Luke's shoulders slumped slightly. He was still alive, but how was he going to get the X-wing out?

The water receded as the X-wing bobbed to the surface. Luke opened the canopy. Glancing around he saw only swamp. R2 tootled sadly behind him. Luke silently agreed. They would have to slog through the water to get to dry land and even then, everything was damp. With no civilization to be seen, it would be an uncomfortable night.

Luke took off his flight gloves and tossed them at his feet in annoyance before he pressed the button that would allow R2 to leave the astromech socket. He stood and walked out onto the nose of the X-Wing.

**Do you want me to come with you?** R2 asked.

Luke shook his head. "No R2 you stay put while I have a look around," he said as he tossed his flight helmet inside the cockpit. The X-Wing rocked unexpectedly and R2 fell into the murky water. "R2?" Luke asked. "R2, where are you?" he asked.

Nothing. "R2!" He yelled.

Suddenly a scope poked up out of the water. **I am here Luke! **The droid whistled cheerfully.

Luke let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. "You be more careful," he scolded.

**Whatever you say.** R2 replied.

With that the little droid started moving, whistling as he went - in the wrong direction. "R2. That way." Luke said, pointing the way to land.

**Oh, right.** R2 beeped and changed direction.

Luke jumped into the muddy water and made his way to land. Once there he turned to watch R2's progress with fond amusement. Almost before he knew what was happening the scope disappeared from view and R2 cried out in panic, followed moments later by the large fin of some creature.

"R2!" Luke cried, pulling his blaster from it's holster and waiting for the creature to reemerge. For a few minutes nothing happened. Then he heard a strange noise and R2 soared out of the water and through the air shrieking the whole way. Luke followed the little droid with his eyes and watched as it landed upside down against a root.

Luke hurried to his friend. "Are you alright?" he asked the droid. "Anything broken?"

**No,** the R2 replied.

"You were lucky he didn't like the taste of droid or you might not have gotten out of there," Luke told the droid as he righted it.

**I think that coming here was a bad idea.** R2 told him.

"I think I'm beginning to agree with you," Luke sighed as he knelt beside the mud covered droid. "Oh what are we doing here R2? It's like something out of a dream or . . . I don't know, maybe I'm just going crazy." he confided.

In answer R2 ejected mud from his internal workings. As a commentary on the journey, he found it fitting.

xxxxx

Admiral Firmus Piett entered Lord Vader's quarters cautiously. He had decided that he would be the one to inform Lord Vader that the Millennium Falcon had entered an asteroid field, rather than some lowly officer. If anyone was going to suffer it might as well be him.

The sight he saw shocked him: a man of an indeterminable age sat in a chair working on a cybernetic arm while an elegant young woman was working on his legs. The girl was pretty enough that Piett might have been tempted if he had eyes for anyone besides his wife, Minda.

Burn scars marred the man's handsome face in places. Piett idly wondered who he was and how he got them.

Both man and girl suddenly looked up simultaneously, not as if they had just realized his presence, but more like they were deigning to recognize his intrusion. He swallowed hard.

"Yes, Admiral?" the man asked in a commanding voice he knew all too well: Lord Vader's voice.

Piett swallowed nervously. That meant that the girl was Lady Vader. He already brought bad news. Would they allow him to live after seeing their true faces? He took a deep breath. Whatever they had decided could only get worse if he delayed. "Our ships have spotted the Millennium Falcon, my Lord. But it has entered an asteroid field and we cannot risk-"

"Asteroids do not concern me Admiral," Lord Vader said, cutting him off with a brandished tool to punctuate his statement. "I want that ship; not excuses."

Piett bowed. "Yes my Lord."

Lord and Lady Vader turned back to their work and Piett quickly left Lord Vader's quarters. He was relieved to have survived making that report and he had no intention of giving either of them reason to change their minds.

_I will never speak of seeing their true faces to anyone._ Piett vowed to himself. It would gain him nothing and could well lose him everything. He wanted to live long enough to see his wife again.

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Something funny I will share with you guys. I started to write this chapter right after posting the tenth chapter and I got confused when people reviewed. *blushes* This time I will wait for a bit before starting the next chapter.

Anyway I hope you all hope enjoy this chapter and please review. Reviews are candy or our pay for all of our hard work. Now if you are shy or don't have an account then I understand. Once upon a time I had no account on either site and then I got one on both. On you can leave an anonymous review.

Okay, I have wasted enough of your time. Until the next update, good bye.


	12. Orders

The only excuse that I have is that Google Docs didn't share this chapter with Bryg when I thought it would. My bad.

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Ana sighed as she watched Han move around the Falcon. She had no training in the field of mechanics. For a long time she had been proud to be a true princess. She was willing to get her hands dirty in the metaphorical sense; diplomacy was certainly work, despite what some people might claim. But she had never had any inclination to get physically dirty, especially with something like mechanics that would get her hands greasy. Now she was regretting her decision. If she knew how to fix this bucket of bolts they might already be on their way.

"I'm shutting everything down except the Emergency Power," Han announced as he did just that.

"Does that mean that 3PO stays off?" Ana asked, almost hopeful.

"No, I need him to talk to the Falcon and see if we can figure out what's wrong with the hyperdrive," Han said.

Ana groaned as Han left to reactivate the droid. She really wished now that she had just given the droid to Luke or better yet, she could have left the Hoth Base sooner and avoided having to travel in this junkyard Han called a ship, too.

xxxxx

Luke sighed as he collected the last of the emergency supplies from his X-Wing. He slowly headed across the makeshift bridge he had created so that the thing living on the water wouldn't try to eat him.

He trudged through the swamp a short distance to the little camp that he had set up for the night. He walked over to R2 and plugged him into a portable generator. "What a strange place to find a Jedi Master." Luke commented to his companion.

**Yes, it is.** R2 agreed.

"This place gives me the creeps," he said as he picked up a ration bar. "Still...there's something familiar about this place." Luke said as he took a bite of the ration bar in his hand.

**What do you mean?** R2 asked.

Luke half shrugged. "I don't know I feel like-" Luke cut off as his senses screamed that someone was watching him. He spun around, pulling his blaster out of it's holster as he turned. A small green alien sat a short distance away. It yelped and cowered before him. "...Like we're being watched!" Luke said, a touch of anger in his voice.

"Away with your weapon. I mean you no harm," the creature said in a trembling voice. "I am wondering, why are you here?" The creature asked, moving his head up and arms his arms down.

Luke hesitated for a second, but such a tiny creature hardly seemed like a danger to him. It wasn't like it could report his presence to anyone. Its clothes were so threadbare that it was doubtful it had the technology to report to anyone off-world and it was the first intelligent creature he had met here. And it certainly looked too old and crippled to take him on in a fight. On the other hand, it might actually know where this 'Yoda' person was. "I am looking for someone," he told the the creature.

"Looking!" The creature said. "Found someone you have, I would say!" The creature giggled in a way that made Luke suspect the little green creature of being at least slightly insane.

"Right," Luke said uneasily, wondering what he had gotten himself into this time.

"Help you I can! Yes, mm," the creature said.

"I don't think so." Luke said. "I'm looking for a great warrior."

"Great warrior." The creature mocked scornfully, limping toward Luke's camp. "Wars not make one great."

Luke let out an aggravated sigh as the creature made his way to the rations kit, unwrapped ration bar, and took a bite. The creature promptly spat it out. "How you get so big eating food of this kind?" he asked Luke.

"That's the only food I have!" Luke nearly wailed as he quickly retrieved the rations kit and closed it.

"Why land in the puddle did you?" he asked Luke in an overly innocent tone. Either he was not very intelligent or he was being sarcastic and Luke was already annoyed over the landing and the wasted ration bar and this whole stinking place.

"Listen we didn't mean to land in that puddle but if we could get our ship ship out we would so -" Luke began only to notice that the creature was going through a bin.

"Cannot get your ship out," He nearly laughed.

Luke watched in horror as he tossed several things to the ground. Some of that equipment was delicate and he would have no way of replacing it here if it was damaged.

"Don't do that!" Luke begged but the strange creature continued to toss the things in the bin out. "You're making a mess!" Luke groaned as he started to pick up the things that the creature had tossed onto the ground, surreptitiously checking them for damage.

When Luke turned around the creature had a lighting device in his hand. Sighing Luke reached for the device. The creature moved his hand away. "Mine, or I will help you not!"

"I don't what your help. I need the light back. I'm going to need to get out of this slimy mud hole." Luke nearly snapped.

"Mud hole? Slimy? My home this is!" The creature objected.

Meanwhile R2 opened one of his panels and slowly extended a pincer to grab the device from the creature. The two fought over the device for several seconds before Luke decided that the light device wasn't worth it.

"R2, let him have it." Luke told his droid friend. The fighting continued. "R2!" Luke said a little louder and with a hint of annoyance.

This time the astromech complied and retracted the pincer. The creature used his cane to close the panel and laughed.

"Move along, little fellow, we have a lot of work to do." Luke told the creature, thoroughly exasperated with him.

"No, no! Stay and help you I will! Find your friend." The creature declared.

"I'm not looking for a friend; I'm looking for a Jedi Master." Luke told the creature, letting his annoyance show.

"Oh, Jedi Master!" The creature said in excitement; his ears moving up. "Yoda! You seek Yoda!" He declared.

Hope blossomed in Luke. Quickly in knelt in front of the creature. "You know him?" he asked the creature.

The creature nodded. "Take you to him I will! Yes, yes! But first you must eat. Come!" he said to Luke. For several moments Luke watched as the creature moved away and into the swamp. "Come on! Come on!" the creature called out impatiently.

Luke made his decision. "R2, stay and watch over the camp," he told his friend. He stood and headed after the insane creature. It might be a waste of his time, but at this point he was willing to try anything that might get him off this planet sooner.

xxxxxx

Han sighed. Work on the Falcon had proceeded to the point where he could risk taking a short break. As often happened, his thoughts turned to Angel the instant his mind was free of immediate concerns.

He had no doubt that Angel was with her father. He also had no doubt that her father would follow them. He took his responsibilities very seriously and he would hunt them to the ends of the galaxy if he must to capture them. He wondered if flying into the asteroid field had really been such a good idea. Had it actually accomplished anything or would Lord Vader simply collect them on the other side?

He scowled and pushed his concerns aside for the moment. He hated thinking of people he loved and respected as enemies. Much better to remember the good times. Reaching into a compartment he retrieved a small crate filled with holos, memory crystals and some other memorabilia from their time together. He knew he shouldn't have kept them, but he had nothing else left to him from that time.

He activated a holo and watched as a much younger Angel played tag with two older girls. It was an older holo, one of many that Angel had given him. Adults could be heard laughing as the girls chased each other in circles. He liked this one because she was so carefree. Life had gotten more complicated for her and he knew she was harder, less trusting, even if he never saw her anymore.

Han deactivated that holo and pulled another one from the crate. This one showed him and Angel racing their swoop bikes on Coruscant. It was early in his time with her but she and her father trusted him with their secrets.

The sound of Ana approaching the area alerted him and he quickly turned the holo off, placing it back in the crate. He was about to put it back in it's hiding place when Ana entered. "What are you doing?" she asked in a tone that was a hair shy of demanding.

"I'm hiding some holos of my girlfriend from Chewie." _And you,_ he added silently. "Chewie is a romantic. He would want to be introduced to her and then the next thing we knew he would want me to court her and probably take her with us." Han explained.

"Well, why isn't she here?" Ana asked. "I can't imagine you would be interested in a girl who couldn't take care of herself."

"It's none of your business why she isn't here!" Han snapped. "All that matters is that I love her and I refuse to forget her."

Ana raised an eyebrow. "If you love her that much, then why isn't she here?" she demanded.

Han glared at her. "I told you it's none of your business!" Seeing her stubborn expression, he sighed. "If you must know I was told if I kept on seeing her I would be killed, so I left."

Ana folded her arms and snorted. "Sounds as if you didn't really love her that much. The mighty Han Solo running from a threat of violence and not even taking the girl with him. No, if you really loved her you would have fought for her to the bitter end."

Han leaped to his feet, livid. "You know nothing! If I thought there was even the slightest chance that staying or fighting would have helped either of us, I would have stayed, but I know when I am outmatched."

"What was she? A crime lord's daughter?" Ana asked snidely.

"It's none of your business what she is!" Han snapped as he pushed the crate back into it's hiding place. "And leave her father out of it. He had nothing to do with it." He would rather not hide the box in front of Ana, but if something happened to him, Luke would need to get his hands on the holos anyway.

Ana made a rude sounding noise and walked away. Han indulged in a few fantasies of strangling her or throwing her out an airlock as he returned to his repair work.

xxxxx

Lord Vader stood in front of holograms of the captains of the other ships in his fleet. "That was the last time they appeared on any of our scopes." Captain Lorth Needa finished his report. "Considering the amount of damage we have received it's very likely that they must have been destroyed."

Vader nearly rolled his eyes. These people had no idea what smugglers were capable of, and rumor claimed that this particular ship had been known to survive what most smugglers though were impossible situations. Reaching out with the Force he got his answer and felt a moment of smug satisfaction.

"No captain, they are alive." He raked the line of captains with his eyes. "I want every ship available to have the asteroid field swept until they are found," he told the captains. They bowed and the holograms disappeared.

Vader sighed and started to walk away. He needed time to think far enough ahead to anticipate their next move or they would escape yet again once they were flushed out of their current hiding place.

"Lord Vader!" Admiral Piett's voice rang out urgently. Vader immediately paused and turned.

"Have they been spotted?" Vader asked him.

"No my Lord; it's the Emperor." Vader felt his blood freeze in his veins. "He commands that you make contact with him immediately!" Piett nearly whispered.

"Move the ship out of the asteroid field so that the transmission is clear." Vader ordered and quickly hurried to his chambers. Once there he locked the door, lowered his hood and removed his face veil, then knelt on the holo scanner and waited for his Master to answer. When he might be giving his Master bad news, it was best not to keep him waiting.

Finally a soft noise told him that his Master was answering. "What is thy bidding my Master?" He asked curiously as a hologram of his Master appeared.

"There is a great disturbance in the Force," Sidious said in greeting.

"I have felt it," Vader agreed carefully, unwilling to admit how much he had sensed and learned.

"We have a new enemy. The young rebel that destroyed the Death Star. I have no doubt that this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker." Sidious nearly spat.

Vader scowled. Did his Master truly think that _he_ had helped hide the boy? Ever since he had learned Luke was a Skywalker, he had wanted to get his hands on the boy to discover the truth of the matter. Still, there was no good reason to admit that he had neglected to report what he had suspected. "How is this possible?" he asked his Master. He didn't have to feign the emotion that went with the question. He was still half-convinced that this was some cruel ploy set up by Obi-Wan.

"Search your feelings Lord Vader; you know it to be true." Sidious answered, in some annoyance.

"That would support what I have uncovered about him." Vader said bitterly. Which would be worse, that Luke was just an impostor or that he had had a son all these years and never knew - a son who wanted nothing more than to kill his own family?

"He could destroy us." Sidious continued, ignoring his apprentice's comment.

Vader scoffed. "He's just a boy. Obi-Wan can no longer help him." Curse Obi-Wan. Whether he had stolen Luke as a baby or convinced him he was a Skywalker, it was his fault. He wished now that he had captured his old Master instead of fighting him. Perhaps then he would have gotten some answers.

"The Force is strong with him," Sidious continued as if he hadn't heard his apprentice's comment. "The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi."

"If he could be turned he would be a powerful ally." Vader suggested, fighting to keep the hope out of his voice. The more he searched his feelings, the more he felt the truth of it. He had a son. He had no desire to kill his own son if he could avoid it.

"You already have a pet. What would you need with two?" Sidious spat. Vader nearly rose from his kneeling position. "She is more than a 'pet'," he hissed angrily. "She is a valuable asset to the Empire. Did she not help destroy many of your enemies in the Senate? She is loyal to the cause of the Empire."

"She is loyal to you, not to me." Sidious pointed out. "Still, ever since the death of that lowly lieutenant she was so fond of, she has been most useful against the Rebels."

Vader felt his suspicions growing. He had ignored them for years, but the smug statement brought them back to the front of his mind. Han had been a major part of his and his daughter's life for three years. He didn't believe for a second that Han would accept a backwater post without at least coming to tell Angel good-bye. Not unless someone made it impossible for him to do so and there was only one man he knew that could and would do such a thing.

Sidious was silent for several seconds. "You have my leave to attempt to convert him. If you cannot convert him, then dispose of him." Sidious hissed.

Vader lowered his head so that his Master couldn't see the pain in his eyes. "Yes, my Master," he replied obediently. What else could he do? He could not sacrifice his daughter for his son. He would do what he must, but he didn't have to like it.

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I have written a new story that connects to Dark Angel it will tell parts of her story that we haven't seen. Keep your eyes open for Dark Angel Chronicles.


	13. Caves

My Beta and I are so sorry that this took so long! But at least it's long.

xxxxxxx

Luke was exasperated with the creature.

They had only gone a short distance to a small hovel and than his guide told him to come inside so that he could eat and get out of the rain that was coming. Personally Luke liked the rain and didn't really mind getting wet, sometimes. Especially when the alternative was to crouch in a house built for someone a quarter of his size.

"Look, I am sure that it's delicious, but I don't understand; why can't we go see Yoda now?" he told guide as the little creature stirred a kettle of unidentifiable mush.

"Patience, for a Jedi must take time to eat as well," the guide responded, unperturbed by Luke's tone.

Luke sighed and made his way over to the fireplace, picked up a bowl and ladled some of the stew-like food into the bowl. Curious he took a taste and made a face. _This stuff tastes just a few hairs better than gray weave!_ he thought.

At that moment his guide came over. Luke quickly grabbed some cooking spices and dumped them into the bowl and slid away from his guide. Now that Luke thought of it, neither of them had offered their names.

"Why wish you to become Jedi?" his guide asked. "Mostly because of my father I guess." Luke told him.

"Father; powerful Jedi was he," his guide said. "Mm, powerful Jedi," he mused aloud.

"Come on!" Luke said. "How can you know my father? You don't even know who I am." he demanded plaintively before frustration overtook him. "I don't even know what I'm doing here! We're wasting our time!" Luke snapped.

"I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience," His guide said softly, though with a clear measure of annoyance, seemingly to the air.

"**He will learn patience,"** Ben's voice said.

His guide turned a measuring gaze on him. "Much anger in him. Like his father."

"**Was I any different when you taught me?"** Ben's voice asked. Luke's suspicions rose.

The creature looked at him straight in the eyes. "He is not ready," his guide pronounced.

Luke could keep quiet no longer. "Yoda!" Luke breathed. Yoda nodded. Then he realized what this meant. Yoda didn't want to train him. "I can be a Jedi. I'm ready! Ben tell him that I'm read-" Luke started to say as he stood and hit his head on the low ceiling.

"Ready are you?" Yoda asked scornfully. "What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. Seen many like you have I. Adventure, excitement. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless," Yoda told him.

"**So was I if you remember."** Ben said.

"He is too old," Yoda pronounced in triumphant tones. "Yes, too old to begin the training."

"But I've learned so much." Luke said.

Yoda sighed. "Will he finish what he begins?" the elderly Jedi asked Ben.

"I won't fail you! I'm not afraid!" Luke told Yoda with conviction.

Yoda looked at him for a second. "You will be. ..You _will _be!" he warned his new student. Luke stared at his new Jedi Master, a chill running down his spine, but he still could imagine nothing frightening about the Force.

xxxxxx

Han shook his head as he examined some relays with Chewie. He lost his concentration as hurried footsteps caught his attention. Curious he looked up to see Ana racing towards him; fear written all over her face.

"There's something out there!" she yelped like a frightened child.

"Where?" Han asked her.

"Outside in the cave," Ana replied, her voice shaking.

He was about to tell her it was all her imagination when a banging noise filled the ship.

"There it is! Listen! Listen!" 3PO wailed from his place at the main computer where he had been giving Han and Chewie advice on how to fix the ship as he listened to the main computer report on the damage to the Falcon.

Han tossed his tools to the deck and grabbed an air mask. "Come on Chewie, we better check it out," Han told his friend.

"Are you insane?" Ana nearly shriek.

"I have, more or less, just fixed this bucket of bolts. I would rather have to face the Emperor than let something tear it apart!" he snapped back at her.

Once outside Han frowned. Something wasn't right about the cave. The ground didn't feel like rock and there was so much moisture in the air...

Movement caught his eye and he fired his blaster. Something fell off the Falcon and onto the ground. Cautiously he walked over and nearly groaned: it was a mynock. "Chewie, check the rest of the ship for mynocks; they're probably chewing on the power cables."

Suddenly a bunch of mynocks swarmed them. Chewie growled and fired his crossbow in their direction and missed. The cave floor moved.

Curious Han fired his blaster at the ground and the ground moved again. They weren't in a cave. As if the day couldn't get any worse, he had to pick the cave that led straight into the belly of a Space Slug. Han and Chewie raced for the gangplank.

"What did you do?" Ana demanded as he ran past her.

"No time! We've got to get out of here!" he yelled at her without slowing until he had reached the cockpit.

"You can't make the jump to lightspeed while we're still in this asteroid field!" Ana objected at full volume. Han ignored her. He could already see the slug's mouth closing ahead of him.

"The cave is collapsing!" Ana cried in dismay.

"This isn't a cave." Han told her as they barely slipped between the teeth and into - relatively - clear space.

xxxxxxx

Lady Vader stood next to her father as a battered ship landed in the hangar. The ship belonged to a bounty hunter named Boba Fett. She had heard stories about Boba Fett and how he once took out a Republic Star Destroyer just so that he could get revenge on one person. Boba had done other jobs for her father in the past but that didn't mean that she liked him. Still, she had to admit that he was good at what he did.

The hatch opened and Fett walked toward them in full armor. The armor was Mandalorian but Lady Vader knew for a fact that Boba was no Mandalorian. Now, it was possible he might have some Mandalorian blood, but he was no pure blood.

It paid to know someone of Mandalorian blood.

"I understand that you have a request for me Lord Vader," Boda Fett stated coldly. It was a little unnerving to hear the voice of her 'uncles' from this man, but she knew that Boba was a clone of Jango Fett, the same man who had served as the template for the old storm troopers, so she wasn't shocked.

"I will explain the bounty once the others arrive," her father said simply. "I would rather not have to repeat my self several times."

Boba made a shrugging motion. "All I care is about bringing in Solo. He owes Jabba the Hutt money. If you want to pay me a second time for the same man, who am I to complain about a few hours of waiting?"

Lady Vader stiffened at the sound of that cherished name. Could it be that this Solo was her beloved? She felt a moment of wild hope sweep through her. Han might be alive!

No, she reminded herself, her beloved was dead. And even if he had survived, he would know better than to get involved with the Hutts. She and her father had warned him all about the Hutts. Even if he was by some miracle alive he would never have considered doing jobs for a Hutt. And he would never NEVER betray her by joining the rebels.

xxxxxx

Luke raced through the swamp with the aged Jedi Master in a harness on his back. "Yes run, yes! A Jedi's strength flows through the Force," Yoda told him. "But beware of the Dark Side. Anger, fear aggression. The Dark Side are they; easily they flow. Once you start down the Dark Path, forever it will dominate your destiny. Consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice," Yoda continued insistently.

"Vader!" Luke spat, forgetting his lesson on hatred for a moment. He nearly tripped at the lapse in concentration, but regained his balance and continued on. When he was sure his emotions were under control he asked in a more subdued tone, "Is the Dark Side stronger?"

"No, but easier, more seductive," Yoda answered.

"How am I suppose to know the good from the bad?" Luke asked.

"You will know when you are calm, at peace, passive."

"But tell me why-" Luke began.

"No. There is no why. Not that I can teach you today," Yoda told him sharply. "Clear your mind of questions."

Luke took several deep breaths then undid the harness and gently set it on the ground. Something whispered to him. It was cold and promised to show him what he wanted. "There's something not right here." Luke whispered. "I feel cold."

"That place, a domain of evil it is," Yoda said. "In you must go."

Luke turned back to look at the tree that the feelings were coming from. "What's in there?" he asked, in slightly horrified curiosity.

"Only what you take with you," Yoda answered cryptically.

Luke retrieved his belt from the ground, his blaster and his father's lightsaber swinging from it. Whatever evil awaited him there, he would defeat it. "Your weapons, you will not need them." Yoda suddenly said. Luke ignored him and finished placing the belt around his waist.

It didn't take him long to reach the tree and once he was there he noticed a hole in the ground near the base of it. He peered in before lowering himself inside. There were roots everywhere and lizard-like creatures here and there, but nothing struck him as evil.

Cautiously Luke walked deeper and deeper into the cave. Finally he paused, examining his surroundings. He could feel evil radiating from somewhere, but without a physical object, he could not see how to fight it. Then there came the sound of footsteps. Luke gasped as the sight of Lord Darth Vader coming towards him. What was Vader doing here?

Even while he wondered, Luke's hand instinctively went to the lightsaber that hung on his belt at the sight of his enemy. He ignited it with a flick of his thumb and attacked without a second thought, his mind focused only on destroying this menace responsible for the deaths of so many close to him. Vader answered in kind. They fought for only a few moments before Luke slashed at the Sith Lord's neck. The lightsaber sliced so easily through, sending the still-veiled head bouncing forward to land near Luke's feet. He felt a moment of intense excitement at the victory. He took a step toward the head, curious to see the face of his nemesis at last.

Before he could remove the veil, a shriek of mingled pain and fury filled the cave. Luke spun around to see Lady Vader charging him. He blocked several of her wild swings before stabbing her in the chest. She dropped to the ground, dead. He had not really meant to kill her, but the feeling of victory was nearly as intense. He quickly scanned the cave for any other enemies and finding none, he dropped to one knee, curious to see what the veils hid.

He ripped off Lady Vader's veil and gasped in horror; his involuntary step backward landed his foot on Lord Vader's corpse. He frantically spun around and pulled the veil off Lord Vader's face, but both faces were identical. He looked back and forth in horror at the faces of the two he had slain in such fury moments before. How could this be? How could his two enemies have this face? His face.

Then like a dream their remains vanished. He started back toward the mouth of the cave, shaken to his very core.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next chapter of Dark Angel Chronicles might be up either today or tomorrow.


	14. Lessons and Escapes

I'm glad that so many of you enjoyed the scene in the cave. It was fun to write.

I hope you all had a good day today. I sure did. No, Scott didn't ask me out. But he did wave to me.

And it's only getting later and later so I'll just let you guys get to the next chapter.

xxxxxx

Lord Vader carefully examined the bounty hunters before him. They were all here by invitation only. No one got aboard any of his ships without one. Not since that group of Rebels tried to abduct his daughter. The fools thought that she would be easy to take. They should have known better. They had learned the hard way that even though his child was little more than a baby she could still let him know that something was wrong.

All of the bounty hunters before him now had fearsome reputations, but Boba Fett was the best by far. Of course, he had a reputation for using extreme measures. . . . Still, if he could impress upon the man the importance of having live prisoners, he was by far the most likely to succeed.

Shaking himself out of his musings he paced in front of them on the Bridge. "There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the Millennium Falcon. You are free to use whatever methods that are necessary but I want them alive!"

He paused in front of Boba Fett.

"No disintegration!" He hissed at him as he jabbed a finger in the unaltered clone's helmeted face before walking away. Boba Fett was known to get carried away and he wanted everyone aboard captured alive.

"As you wish!" Boba replied, unfazed by the order.

"Lord Vader!" Admiral Piett called out. Lord Vader paused and let the admiral approach him. "My Lord me have them!" The assembled bounty hunters shifted unhappily at the news, but he ignored them. Perhaps his own men were not as incompetent as he thought.

xxxxxx

Ana bit her lip. A Star Destroyer was coming up behind them. Fear of being captured filled her.

"Oh, thank goodness we're coming out of the asteroid field." 3PO said, almost excitedly. Ana shook her head and wondered for the umpteenth time who was responsible for programing the blasted droid. Because when she found them she was going to give them a piece of her mind. The whole point of having a droid was to have a machine that could calmly and logically assess a situation and communicate needed information, which was somewhat hampered when the idiot programmer gave them such life-like personalities that they practically gibbered in terror in life-threatening situations.

The ship jerked from a hit and Ana felt like screaming at the insane man to just jump to hyperspace already.

"Alright, let's make the jump to lightspeed." Han said. "One, two, three!" He called out and pulled down on the lever, only for nothing to happen...Again.

"This isn't fair!" Han groaned. "The transit circuits are overworked! I knew I should have replaced them, but I just couldn't find decent parts. Where's Ani when you need him?"

Now Ana was sure that she would never see her beloved Pter again.

"Sir, I believe we just lost the rear deflector." 3PO reported urgently. "One more hit on our tail and we're done for!"

"Turn her around!" Han suddenly ordered. Chewbacca made a noise of protest. "I said turn her around! I'm going to put all power in the front shield!" Han ordered.

"You're going to attack?" Ana screamed. Han must be suicidal. Poor Pter; he would never know what happened to her.

"Sir!" 3PO objected, "The odds of successfully assaulting an Imperial Star Destroyer are-"

"Shut up before I dismantle you!" Ana yelled at the stupid droid. She should have either given the droid to Luke or sent him to the first transport off of Hoth. Or shot it herself. Ana bit her lip as the Falcon turned and sped towards the Star Destroyer. At least she would go out fighting.

"You're too close to the surface!" she called out. Han ignored her and continued to speed towards the Star Destroyer's Bridge.

They zoomed over the Bridge only to slow down as suddenly as they had accelerated and then attach themselves to the back of the Bridge sensor array.

"They won't find us here!" Han said gleefully. "We should be able to stay here for awhile."

Ana just leaned back in her seat, too relieved to say anything. If she could survive the attack on Hoth, the asteroid field, nearly getting eaten, and Han's reckless flying, perhaps the Force was with them enough to see her survive after all.

xxxxx

Yoda sat perched on his student's foot as he stood on his head. He felt Luke remove a hand from the ground and balance on only one hand. Yoda was pleased. His student was coming along well after his experience in the cave. Yoda still sensed impatience, but Luke was learning to control his emotions faster than his father had.

"Use the Force, yes," he prompted Luke gently. "Lift the stone." A stone lifted into the air and ever so slowly balanced on another stone. "Feel it," he said to the young man.

The astromech's sudden whistle of alarm broke Luke's concentration. "Concentrate!" Yoda yelped but it was too late. Luke fell to the ground and sent the old Jedi Master tumbling. He used the Force to cushion his weak body from serious damage, but he couldn't restore Luke's concentration so easily.

Yoda came to his feet and watched as his student slogged into the swamp a bit, towards his fighter which was now nearly completely under water. He didn't even attempt to stop him. Once again, the boy's mind was filled with a welter of uncontrolled emotions.

"Oh no; we'll never get it out now!" Luke wailed.

Yoda suppressed equal parts exasperation and amusement. All Jedi had some affinity for piloting and mechanics, but none were so attached to their ships as Skywalkers seemed to be. You would think it was a child that had slipped below the murky surface rather than a rather old and battered X-wing Fighter. Still, this could work in his favor if he approached it right. "So certain are you?" Yoda asked his apprentice. "Always with you: it can't be done. Listen you to anything I say?"

"Master, moving stones around is different." Luke said in exasperation, letting his emotions push him further into despair and impotent anger.

"No different! Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned. You must feel the Force surround you." Yoda told young Skywalker, giving him a chance to show that the lesson had truly sunk in. Perhaps Leia would be a more apt pupil. Luke might be learning control faster than his father, but he was still volatile, too full of conflicting emotions that had been allowed to run unchecked for most of his short life. Alternatively, Leia was being raised by the Organas. She would have had the training of a politician at least and the Organas had learned those skills when there were still Jedi around to try hiding their feelings from.

"Alright, I'll give it a try," Luke sighed. Even without the Force, Yoda would have known Luke's doubt and known too that that doubt would fulfill itself with failure.

"No!" Yoda called out firmly. "Do, or do not. There is no try." The last directive seemed to have gotten through to him. His resolve firmed. Yoda watched in hopeful disbelief as the fighter began to seemingly lift itself out of the pond. But the twittering of the astromech once again broke Luke's concentration and the fighter nearly disappeared under the surface.

Yoda could tell that Luke was drained from his effort. Despite his potential, the boy could not see that the Force cared little about size. "I can't," The young man gasped sinking to the ground next to him. "It's too big."

"Size matters not. Judge me by my size do you?" Yoda asked. "And you should not. For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. It's Energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous Beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you. Between land, rock, droid and ship."

Luke stood radiating distress. "You want the impossible." He said, distraught.

Yoda watched as Luke walked a short distance away. He shook his head with a sigh. Perhaps he expected too much of Luke. The days of the Jedi Order were over. He had not grown up surrounded by Jedi constantly in tune with the Force. He had probably never seen it applied to any but the smallest things. Obi-Wan would not have wanted to expose them to the Emperor's notice prematurely. And any stories he heard would have been told and retold so many times that they would lose all truth. Perhaps he needed to show Luke the power of the Force.

Closing his eyes he reached into the Force and lifted the fighter out of the water and to dry land. He was aware of Luke watching in shocked awe. Slowly he set the fighter down and opened his eyes. He watched Luke move around the fighter, examining it from every angle.

Finally he came over to him. "I don't believe it!" Luke breathed.

"That is why you fail." Yoda told his student in satisfaction.

xxxxx

Captain Lorth Needa trembled as he made his way to the Bridge of Executor. Lord Vader was talking to Lady Vader. Both of them turned as he approached, their faces made impassive by their veils.

"My Lord, we lost the Millennium Falcon. I take full responsibility and make no excuses. I apologize most humbly."

Silence fell on the Bridge.

Lord Vader turned to Admiral Piett. "Order all ships to scan the area and see what they can find," he ordered sharply. Admiral Piett nodded and hurried off to give the order, visibly relieved to be leaving the presence of the displeased Sith Lord.

Needa swallowed as Lord Vader glared at him.

"I should kill you now for allowing them to get the better of you." He hissed. Needa stared straight ahead, his salute trembling slightly, but his expression resigned. Something in that resonated with Lord Vader. Needa could have easily attempted to pass the blame to one of his men as so many had in the past. How long had it been since he had found an officer with honor? He quickly revised his decision. "However, I have decided to be merciful this time."

Needa turned to stare at Lord Vader, radiating shock and relief. Other heads had turned to stare as well. Lord Vader was not known for his mercy. "Get back to your ship before I change my mind," the Sith Lord snapped.

xxxxxx

Han was feeling quite smug to have found such a good hiding place. Everyone was probably wondering where they had gone.

Then he thought of the fate of whoever Lord Vader decided was at fault for the mysterious disappearance. One or more people had probably died or were dying right now because of his little stunt. But he didn't want to die at the hands of the Emperor. He still had nightmares about his meeting with him.

"Captain Solo, this time you have gone too far!" 3PO snapped. Once again, Han had an irrational urge to strangle the droid. It was the one area he and Ana agreed. Too bad 3PO technically belonged to Luke too or he could accidentally sell him for scrap.

Chewie roared the equivalent of shut up. "No I will not be quiet Chewbacca. Why won't anyone listen to me?" The droid wondered out loud.

Han tuned the droid out and examined the fleet, watching the maneuvers, looking for a clue of what they were going to do next. All signs pointed to the fact that they were getting ready to make the jump to lightspeed.

"The Fleet's beginning to break up." He told his other passengers. "Chewie, go and get ready to release the manual landing claw." Chewie ruffed an acknowledgement and left the cockpit.

"I really don't see how that's going to help." 3PO moaned. "Surrender is perfectly acceptable in extreme circumstances. The Empire might be-"

"Shut up!" Han snapped at the droid just before Ana turned him off. He threw her a smile, wishing he had thought of that months ago. Imagine all of that 3PO free time he could have had.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Ana asked him.

"Well if they follow standard Imperial procedure they'll dump their garbage before making the jump to lightspeed then we'll just float away."

"With the rest of the garbage?" Ana put in wryly.

"Then we'll find a safe port to land at and make repairs." Han told her, ignoring her comment as he opened up the navicomputer to look at systems. "We're in the Anoat System, correct?" he asked Ana.

"Yes," Ana answered slowly, peering at the star map over his shoulder. "There's not a lot here."

Han continued to go through the computer until he came across one entry that triggered a memory. An entry that gave him some hope. "Wait! Lando!" he called out.

"What system is that?" Ana asked.

"Lando isn't a system. Lando's a man. Lando Calrissian. He owns a Tibanna Gas mining facility on Bespin. It's kind of far but I think we can make it."

"Is he trustworthy?" Ana asked suspiciously. Han let her comment slide. It stood to reason that a former smuggler's old friends were less than trustworthy and dependable.

"He has no love for the Empire and he'll tell anyone that." Han answered. Everything shuddered and Han flipped on the internal comm system and addressed his faithful copilot. "Okay, Chewie, standing by? Detach."

The Falcon drifted away and soon joined the garbage that the massive ship was ejecting.

"Smart, Captain. I just hope that this isn't a trap." Ana commented sardonically.

Han glared at her before pointedly turning his attention back to the debris. Soon the Imperial Class Star Destroyer disappeared into hyperspace along with the rest of the fleet. Han chuckled as he started the Falcon's engines back up. Quickly checking the scopes, he navigated through the junk that now surrounded the ship and headed for Bespin.

xxxxx

Boba Fett smiled as a YT-1300 appeared in front of him. Solo was good, better than his usual quarry, but he was better; much better. He had considered the variables and concluded that this was the most likely way of disappearing so mysteriously.

Let those amateurs who called themselves bounty hunters fly off to search nearby space inch by inch or look in the most disreputable ports. Meanwhile, he would actually catch the slippery Solo and get paid twice for the same job.

He followed them for awhile, wondering why they weren't entering hyperspace. Then it occurred to him that the hyperdrive must be damaged too badly for them to enter hyperspace. That would explain a lot.

It was going to be a long trip. But on the upside there were only a handful of systems that they could be going to. Quickly he checked the navicomputer and smiled again. They must be heading for Bespin. It all fit considering that Solo had a friend there, not that just anyone would know that fact. He was the only one who took the time to research a mark properly.

Boba decided to follow them until he was sure that they were indeed heading there before contacting the Empire with the information. That would still give him plenty of time to get in place without Solo having any idea that he was walking directly into a trap.

He couldn't wait to see the look on Solo's face!

xxxxxxxxxx

Somebody is in for a surprise or two.

I'll start writing the next chapter tomorrow after a few reviews are posted.

Good Night everyone!


	15. Visions and Safety not really

I am so happy that so many of you enjoyed the last chapter.

Needa still lives for different reasons. One of them being that Vader isn't so obsessed with finding Luke that his common sense went out the airlock.

And yes things are about to become interesting at Bespin.

Also as many of you have guessed Yoda is pretty behind on current events. He'd get a failing grade on that if he was in school.

xxxxxxxxx****

R2-D2 watched as his Master and friend stood on his head and lifted different crates into the air with the Force. It reminded him of watching Anakin doing Force exercises back during the Clone Wars. The little droid found himself missing his friend.****

Sadly he didn't have a lot of time to dwell on the past since he was now hovering in the air. He whistled in alarm. He didn't wish to be dropped.****

He could hear Master Yoda talking about what a Jedi could see through the Force. The Future and the Past were just two of the things that Luke could see. R2 wished that he could have seen the Future so that he could have stopped what had happened to Anakin, Padmé and Leia.****

Suddenly he was falling to the ground.****

He twittered in annoyance and righted himself.****

**"**I saw a city in the clouds," Luke said, breathless. ****

**"**Friends you have there," Master Yoda said calmly. ****

**"**They were in pain," Luke nearly whispered. ****

**"**It is the future you see," Yoda informed Luke.****

R2 would have shivered if he was flesh and blood. Anakin had seen the future on many occasions. He remembered well the last ones: the death of Anakin's beloved; Padmé.****

R2 whistled sadly at the thought that Luke might suffer from the same thing.****

**"**Will they die?" Luke asked, fear in his voice. ****

**"**Difficult to see. Aways in motion is the Future." Yoda told Luke.****

**"**I've got to go to them." Luke said, standing. ****

**"**Decided you must, how to serve them best. If you leave now, help them you could. But you would destroy all that they have fought for and suffered." Yoda said.****

R2 never really knew if he liked the old Jedi Master or not. Sometimes he thought that he was too disconnected to what was going on around him and never asked the right questions. Other times he thought that the ancient Jedi was a genius; but that usually didn't last long because he didn't understand humans well and he, R2, knew that he understood humans better.****

xxxxxx****

Han sighed with relief as the Falcon came in for a landing on one of the landing pads on Bespin's Cloud City. He stood and Chewie, Ana, and 3PO fell in behind him as they walked to the gangplank.**  
><strong>**  
><strong>As they got to the bottom of the ramp the door to the inside opened to reveal a group of men talking. They were too far away to hear anything and even if they were closer the wind would have made it hard to hear.****

**"**Hey," Han called out as Lando came closer. They might have had disagreements in the past, but right now Han was overjoyed to see his old friend.****

**"**What are you doing here?" Lando asked, a little too roughly. He must still be sore about Han becoming a smuggler for Jabba than working for him.****

**"**Repairs," Han answered nonchalantly, hiding his unease. "I thought you could help out."****

Lando nodded. "I'm surprised that she's held together as long as she has." Lando commented as he clapped Han in a rough embrace. ****

Han relaxed. He was just being paranoid. "You would be surprised. A few parts need to be replaced, but other than that she's got it where it counts." Han told his friend with a shrug.****

Lando then looked over Han's shoulder. "How you doing, Chewbacca? Still hanging out with this pirate?" Chewie ruffed yes.****

Han groaned when Ana came over.****

**"**He-llo," Lando said gently and with a great deal of interest. "What have-" ****

**"**She's taken already, and before you ask not by me." Han said, cutting Lando off. The last thing he needed was for Lando to either set the princess off or charm her into giving away too much. Either one could end in disaster for someone and he would be caught in the crossfire no matter which way it went.****

With that Han started for the entrance. Lando took the hint and quickly followed after him. "So what's wrong with the Falcon?" he asked, politely.****

**"**Hyperdrive." Han answered shortly, still annoyed that it had failed him at so crucial a time. ****

**"**I'll get my people working on it right away." Lando stated.****

**"**So how's the gas mine?" Han asked after a few moments of silence. ****

**"**It's good; not as well I like it to be. I have supply problems of every kind and labor difficulties. You name it I've had to deal with it." Lando said, earning a laugh from Han. When they first met, Lando would have been horrified by the suggestion of going into management, but he was clearly enjoying it despite his complaints.****

**"**Where's? 3PO?" Ana suddenly asked a few minutes later. ****

Han paused and glanced behind him. There was no sign of the golden protocol droid. "Chewie, go back and see if you can find him. Knowing the droid he probably paused to talk to another droid." Han commented, rolling his eyes. Chewie would collect him and haul him back to annoy them some more.****

xxxxxx ****

Lady Vader sighed as she collected the now broken droid that belonged to the Rebels. She had always enjoyed working with her hands and now she was eager to examine the droid and see if she could unlock any secrets from it. Droids were often a source of useful information. People talked in front of them, forgetting that they were listening simply because they were machines.**  
><strong>**  
><strong>She returned to the quarters that Lando Calrissian had given her father and herself. Once she was safely inside she started to reassemble the droid. It wouldn't do to be seen by their prey before the trap was well and truly set. Besides, if she worked in here, she could use her own tools and remove her veil and cloak.****

Finally she had enough of the droid assembled to reactivate it. Time to see what answers she could get from it. Using the Force, she pressed the button that would turn the droid back on a sat back, glad that she had removed her face veil and cloak.****

At first only gibberish came from the droid but soon it was speaking clearly. "Storm Troopers, here? We're in danger. I must tell the others! Oh no, I've been shot!" the poor droid wailed.****

Lady Vader nearly smiled. The droid reminded her of C-7PO back home. Her father had only wiped C-7PO's memory once and had restored it before the day was done. It had messed with poor 7PO's personality which was something neither of them liked.****

**"**It's alright," she told the droid. "I found you and put you back together." ****

At that moment her father entered the room without his cloak or face veil. He stared at the droid for several seconds before walking over; he appeared to be shocked.****

**"**3PO?" he asked, shock leaking into his voice. ****

**"**Why yes; do we know each other?" the droid asked curiously. ****

**"**I built you out of spare parts when I was a child. I gave you to my wife. I thought that you were long gone."****

xxxxxxx****

Obi-Wan watched as Luke packed his X-Wing. He wished that he and Yoda had been successful in talking Luke into staying and completing his training but the moment that they had revealed that Lord Vader was behind the whole thing it had only hardened the young man's resolve to leave.****

Obi-Wan was now wishing that he had never told Luke that Lord Vader had killed his father. It had only filled Luke with the need for revenge after a time. Even after his lessons in hatred he wouldn't let go of his hate for Lord Vader.****

He was personally worried what would happen to Luke if he succeeded in killing Lord Vader. Would Lady Vader come after him and slay Luke in a fit of rage? Would she figure out the truth and use it to torture Luke with the knowledge he had killed his own father? Could she use it to turn him to the Dark Side?****

**"**Strong is Vader, mind what you have learned. Save you it can." Yoda told Luke. "I will." Luke said, his voice filled with resolve.****

He watched as Luke climbed into his fighter. "I'll return Master, I promise." Luke called out just before the cockpit closed.****

Obi-Wan stood with Yoda as the fighter took off.****

**"**Told I did: reckless is he. Now matters are worse." Yoda said sadly. ****

**"**That boy is our last hope." Obi-Wan told Yoda, dejectedly. "No, there is another." Yoda replied. Obi-Wan didn't have the heart to tell him that Leia had been dead for years so he said nothing.****

xxxxxxxx

I went on the assumption that a droid like a computer can undergo wipes but still have the information still there since with a here and now computer information can be deleted and recovered at a later date. This means that my first foray in the world of profic is still on the family computer; somewhere.

Next chapter the poodoo hits the fan. At least for those on Bespin and it might for Luke as well. It all depends on how much I feel needs to go in the next chapter.

On a side note another long chapter will make this the longest fic I have written!


	16. Captured!

I bet you are all shocked to see this! XD

In this chapter the poodoo hits the fan.

And another thing: the Emperor is known to twist words to his advantage. So he could lie and many people would be none the wiser.

xxxxxxxx

Han sighed as he reentered the apartment he was sharing with Chewie and Ana. He was pleased. The Falcon was nearly completely fixed and that meant that they could be out of here soon. He was counting the minutes until he could be rid of the emotional princess and her annoying protocol droid; that was if they could find the blasted droid. Where could he be?

He shook his head at the thought. Here he was thinking of the droid as a he. Angel and Ani had a protocol droid named C-7PO; she reminded him a bit of 3PO now that he thought of it but not as bad. But then he never took her with him on the flights where he pulled crazy stunts.

Angel had loved those stunts and pulled a few of her own and sometimes even Ani joined them. What he wouldn't give to have either of them in exchange for 3PO. Especially Angel.

"Well?" Ana asked pointedly, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"Ship's almost finished. A couple more repairs and we'll be ready to leave," he informed her.

"Has Chewie found 3PO yet?" Ana asked slowly.

Han shook his head. "No, not yet he's still looking though. Luke would kill us if we left him behind." he said, sitting down. "For reasons I cannot fathom, he actually likes the blasted droid."

"We could always lie and say that he was lost on Hoth." Ana suggested half-heartedly as she also sat down.

"Won't work," Han said. "He'd sense the lie and then we would be in real trouble."

Ana sighed and leaned back.

xxxxxxx

Chewie was getting worried. He had been searching for 3PO for hours and didn't see or hear the stupid droid anywhere. He had even checked the scrap areas.

"Oh dear, I wonder where they could have gone?" a familiar voice worried behind him. Chewie paused and turned. There a short distance away was the wayward droid.

Chewie barked at the droid in irritation.

"Chewbacca! There you are!" The droid cried as it shuffled over to him.

Chewie nearly smiled with relief. He had found the wayward droid, and before they were delayed. It was then he noticed that the droid had been talking to a young woman who was now walking away.

He barked at her, asking her to wait but she continued on and disappeared around a corner.

xxxxxxxx

Ana stood when Chewie came in with 3PO. 3PO was muttering something about his mistress and how she must be so worried about him. Ana wasn't worried about the droid at all. In fact she was worried about how Luke would have reacted if they hadn't found 3PO. Still, it was nice to know that the droid was loyal enough to be concerned about the worry he had put them all through.

She ignored 3PO's babbling about some woman that had once been his owner as Lando entered the apartment.

"Hello everyone, I was wondering if you all would care to join me for a meal before you go?" Lando asked. Ana nodded without looking at Han. She didn't care about what he thought; besides she was hungry and this food would be much better then what she had had with the Rebels. And Lando was a charming host. No match for Pter, of course, but at least he treated her with respect.

"I must find her!" 3PO wailed suddenly. "She's going to need me with a baby on the way." he continued to fret.

"The droid can stay here if something is wrong with it." Lando suggested. Ana nodded once again. She was fed up with his personality quirks.

With that everyone except 3PO left the apartment and followed Lando through the city. Lando talked a lot about how they were a small operation and weren't part of the Empire or part of the Mining Guild; apparently it was good for business.

"Aren't you worried that the Empire is going to learn about this 'little' operation and shut you down?" Han asked curiously.

"It's something that we all worry about and that's why I wanted you to stay; you know Imperial protocol and could help us dodge it." Lando said.

"Sorry but my old girlfriend would kill me: she's got many friends and connections in the Empire."

Chewie ruffed a question at Han.

"Girlfriend is a relative term. She's a female friend and we shared many of the same interests. Her Father's superior didn't like me though and thought that I was a bad influence on her." Han responded.

Ana snorted.

"I suppose it doesn't matter I found a way to keep the Empire out of here forever." Lando said as they stopped outside of a door and opened it. A figure all in black stood. Ana recognized the person immediately: Lord Vader. She ripped Han's blaster out of its holster and fired several shots at Lord Vader.

Lord Vader just raised his right hand and casually blocked the blaster bolts. Then he switched to the left hand and made a gesture with the right and the blaster flew out of her hand and into his.

"We would be honored if you would join us." Lord Vader said coldly. An armored bounty hunter stepped into her range of sight and the sound of armored legs reached her ears. She turned with everyone else to see a squad of storm troopers behind them.

Ana only had a few seconds to wonder where Lady Vader was before she appeared. Her brown eyes were filled anger and something else that Ana didn't want to think about before walking past them and standing near her father.

"I had no choice, they arrived right before you did." Lando apologized. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Han said softly, sounding hurt, but his eyes were not on Lando. They entered the dining room and the door closed behind them.

Ana watched as Lord and Lady Vader sat down and gestured to them to do the same. She didn't dare to disobey, so she sat. Han followed suit, watching the bounty hunter the entire time.

She watched as both Vaders pulled their hoods further over their faces and removed the face veils. Then they picked up their forks and started to eat.

Ana glanced over and saw that Lando was eating as well, as if nothing was wrong. Even Han was slowly eating his food as though it was a common occurrence. At least Chewie was only sniffing the meat on his plate.

After a moment the bounty hunter joined them at the table. At a gesture from Lord Vader he removed his helmet and started to eat as well.

"You are going to want to eat." Lady Vader said coldly. "Even we don't know when your next meal will be."

xxxxxxxxxx

Han sat in a room with the love of his life. He wanted nothing more than to grab her and kiss her, but he knew that was the wrong move. He could see from her mixed expression that she was furious at him, yet still hopeful that there was some explanation she could understand.

"Tell me, Han, that you are spying on the Rebels for the Empire," she finally said in a pleading tone.

"That would be a lie Angel." He told her softly. "I left the Empire; I ran away."

She glared at him. "So you betrayed me? For what? Another girl?" Angel demanded. Han wanted laugh at the thought of him leaving the love of his life for another girl. Ana was pretty and a nice enough girl but Angel had strong personality and wasn't afraid of getting her hands literally or metaphorically dirty. He would never, could never love another.

"It's not like that Angel, pl-" A slap cut him off before he could explain that he thought of Ana as a little sister.

"Do not call me that!" She spat. She spun on her heel and headed for the door. "You can torture him now," she told told whoever was on the other side.

Han gasped when the person walked in: Lord Vader. Han knew that he was in trouble. He had promised long ago that if Han ever hurt his little girl he would not be forgiving.

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Luke was halfway to his destination when he sensed his friends' pain in the Force. He was furious that Lord Vader would hurt the innocent to get to him. Soon he and R2 would arrive and make the Darth Lord of the Sith pay for all the lives he had ruined or cut short.

He swore to the Force he would put an end to the Sith, whatever it took.

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Ana shivered as stormtroopers practically threw her into a small room where Han was already moaning on the floor.

He turned and looked at her. "Ana, Boba Fett is going to be taking me to Jabba the Hutt. I have no idea what he's going to do to me so I need you give that crate filled with holos of my girlfriend to Luke," he whispered.

"Why do you want him to have them?" she asked, puzzled.

"Because he needs to know the truth."

"The truth about what?" Ana demanded, but before she could say more, the door slid open and Chewbacca was gently escorted in, followed shortly by Lando. She fumed, but never had a chance to ask again.

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Chewie couldn't believe that Lord Vader was after Luke alone, but at the same time it made sense. Luke was not only the Rebel that destroyed the Death Star but the son of the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker as well. Luke was a dangerous enemy to the Empire because he was all of those and a Jedi in training besides. No one could be sure what he could accomplish.

At the moment Chewie was carrying 3PO in a sling on his back into a room that was filled with equipment and steam. "You didn't have to detach my legs!" 3PO wailed. "I could have walked!" The droid complained.

Chewie growled at the droid to be quiet. With the droid acting so oddly, he had detached his legs so they could move faster if they had a chance to escape. He would have been just as happy to leave the stupid droid elsewhere, but he had to be prepared. Just because the Vaders were after Luke didn't mean that the rest of them would be released if they caught him.

They were led down a set of stairs to wait as Lord and Lady Vader made their grand entrance across the room. Chewie glared at them in anger. They wanted to capture Luke and do only the Force knew what to him. He hoped that Master Yoda was still alive and not only teaching Luke but keeping him safely away from Sith traps.

Suddenly he realized where they were: a carbon freezing chamber. Since there were no goods waiting to be frozen, he could think of only one reason why they would be here: someone was going to get frozen in carbonite. This facility was out of date by decades; at least thirty standard years; if not more. Even if it had been designed for freezing living life forms, he wouldn't want to trust his life to it working properly.

It couldn't be him or they wouldn't have let him carry 3PO. That left only Princess Ana and Han.

"Put him in." Lord Vader ordered and storm troopers advanced on Han. Chewie roared and swiped at the troopers. He knew it was useless, but Han was his friend.

"Chewie stop!" Han yelled and Chewie found himself stopping. Storm Troopers quickly advanced and slapped binders on his wrists to secure them. Chewie moaned a complaint. He could have taken a few of them down with him. "Chewie, listen to me; you must get Ana back to Pter." Han said. Chewie ruffed that he would. He did not like it, but he understood. His friend needed him to survive to protect the princess and warn Luke and the Rebels.

He watched as the troopers dragged Han toward his doom, only to be stopped by Lady Vader. "Any last words?" she nearly demanded.

"The Starman and the Moon Goddess," Han said gently.

There was a brief silence before Lady Vader slapped Han so hard that his entire upper body moved. She then Force Pushed him into the carbon freezing pit and flicked her fingers at the controls.

A short time later the slab containing Han rose up and the Ugnaughts pushed the slab onto the floor plating.

Ana jerked at the slamming sound but Lady Vader didn't even react. In fact her eyes blazed with anger.

Chewie watched as Lando walked over and checked the status of the controls. "He's alive and in perfect hibernation," he reported, sounding relieved.

Lady Vader turned to Boba Fett. "Get him out of my sight!" she snapped before stalking away. Chewie wondered at that moment what Han had done to Lady Vader to garner such hatred. They couldn't have known each other before. Perhaps Han had said something in the torture sessions?

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Lady Vader stalked through the corridors of Cloud City in a rage. How dare he profess that he still loved her after what he did to her?! It couldn't be true. Not after he lied to her, betrayed her, and joined the Rebels.

Maybe time with her family on Naboo would ease her pain and anger. They would tell her that he never loved her and that she shouldn't feel bad about freezing him in carbonite. Then she could return with a clear head and crush the Rebels as they deserved.

She made her way down the docking platform to where her private ship was docked and boarded it.

As she broke through the atmosphere she noticed an incoming X-Wing. She moved closer and performed a barrel roll in it's direction. The pilot jerked his fighter away and she smiled. Turning back to her navicomputer she punched in the coordinates for Naboo.

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Angel seems to be in a bad mood. :p

The next chapter has a little over 700 words and that's part of the beginning and the tail end of the chapter.

And I forgot to ask when the next chapter of Dark Angel Chronicles would be ready. It might be and I could send Bryg a quick text and find out.

Either way please let me know what you all think! :)


	17. Escape and Duel

Bryg and Misty 1! and Darth Real Life . . . never mind.

Here is the next chapter though.

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Luke Skywalker slowly and carefully made his way through the corridors of the city in the clouds with R2 faithfully at his heels.

He wanted more than anything to hurry to his friends' aid, sensing their fear, but he had quickly realized that R2 wouldn't be able to keep up with him and forced himself to keep his pace slow. It helped that he felt that something was wrong here. He knew the second he had walked in and found the corridors deserted that this was a trap. Such a large facility should be teeming with beings. He had no desire to be surprised by something after that small ship did a barrel roll at him on his way in. The pilot had felt familiar but he couldn't place where he had felt that presence before.

He could sense that Ana, Chewie and Han were here somewhere in the seeming maze of corridors. He also knew that something else was here as well. It was like a shadow, waiting to engulf him.

Suddenly he sensed multiple living things nearby. Quickly he pulled back and waited for them to pass by. It didn't take long. Luke started around the corner, but no sooner did he start to move from his hiding place, than an armored figure appeared and began firing a blaster at him.

Quickly Luke slid back behind the wall until he heard and felt the assailant leave. Luke hurried after him in hopes that the mystery man would lead him to his missing friends.

As he rounded another corner, more shots were fired at him; this time by storm troopers. "No Luke, run!" Ana's voice cried out. "Lord Vader's here!" He could here Chewie barking 'run' and him as well.

A storm trooper threw something in his general direction and Luke instinctively pulled back behind the wall as smoke filled the junction.

There was another blaster shot before they stopped all together.

Luke waited with annoyance for the smoke to clear. Every second counted and he could feel them getting further and further away. A minute or so later the smoke in the junction cleared enough for Luke to confirm that his friends were indeed gone. Frustration filled him; He had let the Imperials get away.

Luke entered the junction and looked around. There were three ways to go. One would take him the way that Ana and Chewie had come from. The other two would take him to other parts of the city but he was not sure which one to take

Carefully he reached out with the Force and jerked his head towards a dark doorway. The Dark Presence that he had sensed was that way. He could only think of two beings that might feel like that and they were Lord and Lady Vader. But which one? Luke reached out and smiled: Lord Vader.

_Vader is here! I could avenge my father. I could rescue Ana, Chewie and Han but we might not escape. Besides Han wasn't with them so he has to be here somewhere. _Luke thought as he stepped into the open area and headed for a door. _If I destroy Vader now, I can still rescue my friends. Without Vader to command the troops, they could probably even free themselves from their captors._

Luke headed for the dark doorway.

The area was dark and there was only a tube lift. Luke paused for a moment before he slipped into the lift tube. The lift took him to a dark chamber that didn't look anything like the rest of the city. There was bare metal everywhere and exposed machinery. He had a bad feeling about the whole situation as the hatch slid shut behind him. The bad feeling grew worse as he heard the sounds of the lift sliding further downward. _Definitely a trap. My blaster isn't going to do me any good. Vader's close,_ he thought.

As if the thought summoned him, the lights came on in the chamber. Luke turned and saw the black figure of the fallen Jedi standing on a raised platform. "The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet." Lord Vader stated flatly.

Luke felt his anger rise at the words that his nemesis had spoken. _I will show that traitorous scum that I am a force to be reckoned with_. He thought as he approached the stairs to the platform and ascended them. _I may not be a Jedi yet but I will make him regret joining the Dark Side._

He slipped his blaster back into its holster and reached for his father's lightsaber, igniting it as he brought it up. He saw something flicker in the Sith's eyes but it was gone before Luke could place the emotion. When the Sith Lord ignited his own lightsaber Luke turned his attention to the fight that was to come.

He paused to gather himself before attacking. He needed the Force to be with him.

_This is for you Father! _Luke thought silently.

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Ana struggled to not bite the insides of her lips or cheeks. She was afraid what her fate would be and she didn't want to show the Imperials or Lando that fear. She had no idea what was going to happen to her or Chewie. Lando hadn't really said - not that she would trust his word anymore anyway - and Lord Vader hadn't really volunteered any information about what was to be their fate.

She felt her throat constrict at the thought of Luke heading right into the elder Vader's trap.

Suddenly she realized that security officers were surrounding them and Lando was throwing the Imperial officer in charge towards one of his own officers. She watched as Lando quickly pulled the stormtroopers' blasters from them. "Hold them in the Security Tower and keep it quiet." Lando whispered to his cyborg second.

Ana's mouth opened slightly as Lando started to work on Chewbacca's cuffs.

"What are you doing?" she asked, puzzled.

"We need to get out of here." Lando simply said.

"I couldn't agree more." 3PO commented.

"Can we even trust you?" Ana asked as the cuffs suddenly came undone as Chewie ripped his hands apart.

Ana watched in shock as Chewie grabbed Lando by the throat.

"I didn't have a choice!" Lando gasped out.

"Let him go!" 3PO wailed, "Oh, I hate violence!"

"You always have a choice." Ana said, ignoring 3PO's cries.

"I was responsible for the safety of others." Lando said weakly.

Ana bit her lip. She had failed to protect Alderaan from destruction because of a few careless choices. Lando seemed to be in that escape pod.

"You said something about helping." Ana said after a moment of silence.

"We can still help Han." Lando whispered hoarsely. "The third East Platform."

"Hurry Chewie!" Ana cried as she raced off down a side corridor. She heard Chewie ruff that he was behind her as Lando took in a gasping breath.

"Wait," Lando's voice gasped out weakly behind them. "You're going the wrong way!"

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Lando cursed softly as Slave I flew off with Han on board. He was furious. This was all his fault. He should have been more careful, should have fought harder, or at the very least planned this coup better. But the Dark Lord of the Sith hadn't volunteered much information except that he was looking for someone named 'Skywalker' and that a ship was heading for Bespin that had people close to him aboard.

Lando was surprised that they knew of the connection until he saw Boba Fett.

He remembered the anger that Lady Vader had shown when he had said Han's name when they were discussing the best way to reveal their presence. Lando had casually mentioned that Han and Chewbacca would never turn down free food. She had demanded to know if Han used to be in the Imperial Military. Lando had answered yes simply because he knew that it would be futile to lie to her. You would have thought that she and Han had known each other by her near violent reaction.

"Oh no, Chewie! Behind you!" The protocol droid crying out was enough to shake him out of his thoughts.

Several stormtroopers were off to the side and shooting at them.

They dodged blaster bolts as they raced away, heading for the Falcon this time. As they hurried off, he wondered where they had picked up an astromech and where had it come from. The Princess didn't seem to be worried; in fact she seemed to know it so it must be connected to her in some way. He could ask later. Right now he had more pressing things on his mind.

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Lord Vader smiled under his face veil, Luke was better trained than he had previously thought. But his style of fighting was not quite what he had expected from someone trained by Obi-Wan. The boy seemed to be learning on the fly, copying Vader's own style, as though he had never fought with a lightsaber before. Was Luke trained or was he just a fast learner?

What puzzled him more was the animosity that his son had towards him. It wasn't just a feeling of betrayal. It was eerily similar to the hatred he had for the Tusken Raiders of Tatooine. Was it because of the death of Luke's aunt and uncle? If the anger was over Owen and Beru's deaths, had he known that the trail led to their farm he would have questioned them himself and they would probably be alive today. Was it because he had killed Luke's mentor, Obi-Wan? If that was the case then Luke needed to be told that it was the old man's fault that he died. Vader decided that he'd ask his son a few things later. If the duel continued long enough he would get it out of him sooner, if not, he would question him on Coruscant. "You have learned much young one," he commented with a hint of pride.

"You'll find that I'm full of surprises," his son pronounced with conviction. Vader snorted; his son was as a cocky as he used to be. Vader knew of only one remedy for that; a flurry of blows and a twist of his wrist later and he knocked his old lightsaber from Luke's hand. It fell to the level below.

Before the boy could consider calling the blade back to himself, Vader slashed his lightsaber at Luke and the boy rolled down the stairs to avoid the blade, never realizing that Vader intended to miss him anyway. His son had good reflexes. He did wonder though if it was training or instinct.

Vader turned and jumped into the air, landing where Luke had been just a few moments before. He found himself comparing Luke and his little angel. She wouldn't have allowed herself to be so unaware of her environment. She would have been more careful and would have jumped down the stairs instead of rolling down them. She would have had her lightsaber back by now. Or she would have been fighting with her shoto if she was in the same situation that Luke was now in.

He mentally shook his head. Clearly Luke had not been training for as long as his Angel, but surely Obi-Wan must have taught him something. Luke had at least known to let the Force guide him. Vader pointed his lightsaber at Luke. "Your destiny lies with me young one; Obi-Wan knew this well." he informed his son.

"No," the boy whispered, his tone full of horrified rejection and anger.

Vader reached out and prepared the pit for the freezing process. If his son failed this test, at least Luke would stay out of trouble until Vader could train him properly. He slowly advanced until the pit was behind Luke. Vader mentally shook his head. Angel would never have been so careless. Even if Obi-Wan had only trained Luke for a few week how could the boy have thought that he could match a fully trained Sith Lord? The Obi-Wan he knew would have warned the boy away from such a choice.

He moved his lightsaber in Luke's direction and the boy took one too many steps backward and fell into the pit. He wondered idly how long Luke would have lasted if he hadn't been testing the boy. Not long at all. "All too easy, no challenge at all." He commented to himself in disappointment as he flicked his fingers at the controls.

A ripple in the Force had him turning back to the pit, trying to identify the source. "Perhaps we were mistaken about the strength of the power you wield." he mused out loud.

A noise above him had him looking up into the hoses and other pieces of the equipment that helped with different parts of the carbon freezing process. Luke clung to one of the hoses as if it was a jungle vine.

"Impressive!" he breathed. This was something that Luke couldn't have learned on the barren wastes of Tatooine. Someone had been teaching him. The question was who though. He slashed his lightsaber half-heartedly at Luke. Luke just climbed higher and the lightsaber went through one of the hoses anyway. "Most impressive." He commented sarcastically. He wondered if Luke had expected the hoses to be cut and counted on the resulting cloud of vapor to hide his movements. He suspected Luke had not thought that far ahead.

Vader watched as Luke flipped his body so that he could drop to the ground. The boy then took the damaged hose that was spitting out gaseous carbonite and directed its new head at him. He cried out as the cold gas hit him and backed away. _He's smarter than I gave him credit for,_ he thought as Luke used the Force to retrieve the lightsaber that had once belonged to him many years ago.

"You have been taught well and know how to control your fear. But you must release your anger. Only your hatred will destroy me!" he goaded his son.

Luke just scowled and pressed his attack. Vader smiled as he backed up; he had planned for this possibility and allowed himself to fall backwards off the side of the platform. Once that was done he hurried away; knowing that Luke was going to follow.

Luke did not disappoint.

_Angel would have been much more cautious,_ he thought as Luke searched the room with the Force. _Let's see how far your knowledge of the Force goes._ He then proceeded to use the Force to throw things at Luke.

_You disappoint me once again. Even a half-trained Jedi should be able to throw them back with the Force or at least slice them apart or deflect them. _He and _Luke_ briefly crossed blades before he threw a few more crates at Luke. The boy moved and one of the crates smashed into the window, breaking it.

The wind blew hard, threatening to suck them out. He used to Force to activate the magnets in his artificial feet and boots. Luke, on the other hand, was yanked out the window.

Vader moved slowly to the broken window and peered below, noting that Luke had grabbed a pitten walk before he could fall to his death. _Let's finish this. I wonder what Obi-Wan told him of my fate. Nothing good, I think. Maybe I can use it to my advantage._

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Ana shook slightly as she fled with Lando, Chewie, and R2 from the storm troopers. They had lost the storm troopers a short time ago but that could change at any moment. "The Security Code's been changed!" Lando groaned as he accessed a panel.

"R2, tell the computer to override the security system and hurry!" 3PO told the droid.

Ana kept an eye on things as Lando made a citywide announcement to flee. Her attention returned to R2 as he made a high-pitched squealing noise as the power socket he had tried to access jolted his entire system and Chewie pulled the droid away.

"Let's get going!" Lando said as he continued towards the Falcon through the now available door.

Ana followed right after him.

A few minutes later they came to the door that would take them to the platform where the Falcon was docked. The door refused to open. Could their luck get any worse? R2 got right to work opening the door as the stamp of stormtrooper boots began to approach.

She was dimly aware of 3PO yelling at R2, but she heard the door slide open just before the stormtroopers rounded the corner. Ana waited a moment longer, hoping to see Luke sprint around the corner just ahead of blaster fire, but she didn't resist when Lando gently grabbed her elbow and urged her into a run.

They paused only a few times to shoot at their pursuers as they raced to the Falcon. Miraculously, they reached the gangplank unscathed and fled up it. Once they were on board they bolted for the cockpit to lift off before the stormtroopers managed to shoot anything important.

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Luke followed his instincts to where he felt Lord Vader. It led him into a structure. His senses were overwhelmed with feelings of danger, but he couldn't see the danger.

Vader suddenly appeared from the shadows with his lightsaber ignited; Luke barely had time to ignite his own to block the attack that had come. _He's stronger than I thought. I was a fool to think that I could defeat him in combat,_ he thought as Vader pushed him back. _I should have listened to Yoda. _Luke stumbled and almost fell backward.

"Admit your defeat. It is useless to continue." Vader stated matter of factly. "Don't let yourself be destroyed like Obi-Wan did."

Luke felt a wave of anger strengthen him and pressed his attack. He swung his lightsaber and it grazed Vader's right forearm; some sparks flew and Vader hissed in annoyance.

The hit didn't slow the Sith though. He just pressed his attack.

Luke quickly backed onto a narrow beam. The Sith Lord couldn't follow him there without the possibility of both of them falling. Perhaps that would hold him at bay. Their lightsabers locked a few times before Vader moved his lightsaber and sliced at him.

Luke cried out as he felt Vader's lightsaber burn his right forearm. He nearly collapsed in pain and barely noticed his lightsaber falling into the abyss below him; Vader called it to his left hand before it could fall too far.

Luke watched in quiet fury as Vader almost seemed to caress the hilt of Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber and there was something that looked like fondness in his eyes as he clipped the weapon to his belt.

"There is no escape; but I would rather not destroy you." The Sith hissed in dark overtones. Luke moved as carefully as he could away from the towering dark figure. "Luke, you do not yet realize what you can do. You have only begun to tap into your power. Join me and I will complete your training. With our combined strength we can end this destructive conflict and restore peace to the Galaxy!" Lord Vader offered.

"I'll never join you!" Luke gritted out as he moved away from his enemy.

"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side!" the Sith cajoled. Luke watched him warily, waiting for the Sith to continue. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to you father; did he?" Vader asked, nearly conversationally.

Luke was confused for a moment at the sudden change in Vader's tone, but a moment later anger gripped him. _That vile creature is acting as if he had nothing to do with my Father's demise! Too bad for him I already know_. Luke thought. The thought led immediately to an angry retort. "He told me enough!" Luke cried out. "He told me that you killed him!"

Lord Vader's eyes turned from their icy blue to poisonous yellow then back to blue. "No," he said softly as he reached for his face veil that, unlike the Sith's hood, had somehow managed to stay in its place the whole fight. "_I_ am your father." he pronounced calmly as he lowered the piece of fabric.

Luke felt horror grip him as he stared at a face that he knew nearly as well as his own; even though burn scars marred it: the face of his father.

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So, how did you like it?


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